world 11 April 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
US-Iran Hold High-Level Talks in Pakistan Amid Strait of Hormuz Tensions
US and Iranian officials engaged in their highest-level discussions in decades in Islamabad, Pakistan, seeking to end a six-week war, while President Trump claimed US forces are clearing the Strait of Hormuz. Conflicting reports persist on naval operations, with Iran denying US claims and demanding regional ceasefire and reparations. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/world/us-iran-talks-underway-trump-says-hormuz-strait-clearing-underway-5420434
High-level US-Iran negotiations kicked off in Islamabad, Pakistan, marking the first direct talks in over a decade and the most senior since Iran’s 1979 revolution. The discussions aim to halt a six-week conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies and spiked oil prices.
US Vice President JD Vance, alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi for two hours. The Iranian team arrived in mourning attire, carrying items from victims of US strikes, including students killed in a school bombing.
President Trump announced on social media that US forces are ‘clearing out’ the Strait of Hormuz, claiming 28 Iranian mine-dropping vessels sunk to reopen the vital waterway for global shipping. Iranian state media dismissed this as false, and no US ships have crossed according to Tehran, while Britain’s Financial Times reported a stalemate over the strait’s status.
Pakistan’s sources described the talks as volatile, with ‘mood swings’ from both sides. Iran demands asset releases, war reparations, Hormuz control for transit fees, and a ceasefire extending to Lebanon. The US seeks free passage through the strait and curbs on Iran’s nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes continue in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, killing nearly 2,000, separate from the US-Iran ceasefire efforts. Hezbollah reported counteroperations, and Israel-Lebanon talks are set for the US on Tuesday.
The war has caused thousands of deaths and economic turmoil. Three supertankers passed through the strait Saturday, a rare sign amid the blockade. Islamabad remains under heavy security as Pakistan mediates.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)