live Israel, Lebanon Agree To 10-Day Cease-Fire, Says Trump

Iran’s Internet blackout entered its 44th day, activists said, as the government continued muzzling Iranians' connectivity to the outside world.

The government of Tehran shut down access to the worldwide Internet on February 28, the day that the United States and Israel attack the country.

The watchdog group NetBlocks said on April 12 that the blackout had surpassed 1,000 hours.

"The human and economic impacts of the extended censorship measure continue to pile up, breaking global records for shutdowns in a connected society," it said in the post on X.

During massive anti-government protests in January, authorities also throttled Iranians' Internet access, sharply limiting people’s ability to communicate and share information about the brutal crackdown. Thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of people are believed to have been killed by security forces, rights activists said.

Some Iranians have turned to Starlink, the US-built satellite Internet provider, to get information. An estimated 50,000 Starlink terminals are in the country, according to Bloomberg, though the government has banned them and aggressively sought out people using them.

Iranians are also relying shortwave radio, which can transmit over long distances.

The lead negotiator in Iran's talks with the United States said Washington was "unable" to win Tehran's trust during the discussions.

In a post to X on April 12, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is also the speaker of Iran's parliament, said his negotiators raised "forward-looking" initiatives during talks in Pakistan, but the United States failed to gain the ‌trust of the delegation in the talks.

"My colleagues in the Iranian delegation...put forward constructive initiatives but ultimately the other side was unable to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations," he wrote.

"America has understood our logic and principles, and now it's time for it to decide whether it can earn our trust or not."

Qalibaf's statement came hours after US Vice President JD Vance, who headed the US team, departed Islamabad saying there had been no deal to end the US war with Iran.

Qalibaf appeared to not completely shut the door to more talks in the future, but it was unclear if and when that would happen.

Iran aims to overhaul a majority of its oil refining and distribution facilities -- which have suffered damage in US-Israeli strikes since February 28 -- within the next two months, a senior industry official was quoted as saying.

Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Sadeq Azimifar told the Student News Network -- an Iranian news agency -- that he hopes the facilities will be restored to 70-80 percent of their pre-war capacity.

He said repairs have already begun and ‌that part of the Lavan refinery is ‌expected to resume operations within about 10 days, with other units coming back online gradually.

Oil exports are a critical source of revenue for Iran's economy. The US-Israeli attacks have badly damaged its oil infrastructure, and Iran has all but closed down the Strait of Hormuz, where a huge proportion of global oil tanker traffic passes through.

Global energy prices have skyrocketed as a result.

Tehran has no plans for the next round of peace talks to end the war, Iran's Fars news agency reported, after Islamabad peace talks collapsed and US officials departed for Washington.

The agency, which is closely linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said "Iran did not accept America's ambitious conditions on the Strait of Hormuz, peaceful nuclear energy and several other issues."

The agency cited "a source close to the Iranian negotiating team" in Islamabad.

"The Americans demanded through negotiations everything they could not obtain through war," the person said, adding that he believed "the American team was looking for an excuse to leave the negotiating table."

Another Iranian news agency, Tasnim, also quoted an "informed source" as saying that "a time and place for the next possible round of negotiations has not yet been determined."

"Iran is in no hurry" the agency, which is also affiliated with the IRGC, quoted the person.

Until the United States "agrees to a reasonable agreement… there will be no change in the situation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Tasnim said.

"The ball is in America's court and Iran is in no hurry to negotiate," Tasmin quoted the unnamed person as saying.

US Vice President JD Vance, who led the US negotiating team, departed the Pakistani capital on the morning of April 12.

The Iranian delegation was led by Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

WASHINGTON -- Marathon talks aimed at halting the war in Iran have failed without a breakthrough, as US Vice President JD Vance flew back to the United States amid major questions what comes next for the 43-day-old conflict.

Before departing Pakistan, Vance called the talks -- the highest-level talks between Washington and Tehran in decades -- "substantive," but said Iran had balked at Washington’s core security demands.

“We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it," he said.

Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said about the two sides reached understanding "on a number of issues."

However, "there were differences of opinion on two or three important issues, and ultimately the talks did not lead to an agreement," he said in a post to social media.

To read the full report, click here.

WATCH: US Vice President's Statement After Marathon Iran Talks

by RFE/RL

No media source currently available

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US Vice President JD Vance early on April 12 said that “we have not reached an agreement” and that Iran has "chosen not to accept our terms” after negotiations broke off following 21 hours of talks.

Vance did not go into details, but said the US needed an "affirmative commitment" that Iran would not seek a nuclear weapon and would not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon.

"We just could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms," Vance told reporters at around 6:30 a.m. before heading back to the US after a marathon negotiation session.

"We were quite flexible, quite accommodating," he said.

Vance did not specify the next steps. There was no immediate comment on whether Tehran's refusal to accept US terms would lead to the resumption of US and Israeli air strikes against Iran and, in turn, Iranian retaliatory missile and drone launches against Israel and Gulf states.

Vance was in Islamabad to conduct "in-person" trilateral discussions with Iranian officials and Pakistani mediators. He said other issues, along with the nuclear situation, were also discussed.

"We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We'll see if the Iranians accept it,” he said.

US Vice President JD Vance early on April 12 is scheduled to meet with reporters following a marathon negotiation session with Iranian officials, his office said.

It was not immediately clear if Vance would take questions or solely deliver a statement. It was due to begin shortly after 6 a.m. in Islamabad.

Vance held "in-person" trilateral talks with Iranian officials and Pakistani mediators in Islamabad. The talks lasted more than 15 hours, with occasional breaks, and concluded early in the morning.

WASHINGTON -- Iran’s government said the third session of talks between the US and Iran ended in the early hours of April 12 in Islamabad and will continue later in the day despite "differences" between the two sides.

A senior White House official did not confirm to RFE/RL that the talks had ended for the first day, saying only, "15 hours and counting." Sources told RFE/RL that the US delegation was still at the Serena Hotel negotiation site in Islamabad around 4 a.m., about an hour after Iranian sources said talks had been paused.

Some observers said it was possible the sides were still exchanging notes but that active face-to-face negotiations had ended shortly after 3 a.m.

The Iranian government, in a post on X, did not specify a time when the talks would resume in the Pakistani capital.

“With Pakistan's proposal and the acceptance of the negotiating delegations of Iran and America, the continuation of negotiations with Pakistan's mediation will proceed for one more round and after a pause on Sunday [April 12],” Iran’s government said in the post.

The Pakistani-hosted trilateral "in-person" negotiations played out in three sessions over about 15 hours, with occasional breaks taken by the delegations as negotiators looked to battle through several contentious issues in hopes of reaching a peace deal.

The specific points of contention were not immediately disclosed, but US President Donald Trump’s demands have focused on Iran allowing the free flow of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and that it give up its supplies of enriched uranium that could be used to build a nuclear weapon.

Tehran has insisted it would have control of shipping traffic through the strait, that it retain its supplies of enriched uranium, and that it receive reparations for damages from the US-Israeli air strikes that began on February 28.

In addition, Tehran has said Israel must end its attacks on Iran-allied Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

The apparent face-to-face sessions mark the most significant contact by Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The US formally broke relations with Iran in April 1980 and the two countries typically hold talks through intermediaries.

• RFE/RL

Images from the sixth week of the US-Israeli war with Iran and the beginning of a fragile temporary cease-fire.

Meanwhile, Trump on April 12 said he was not concerned about whether a deal would be struck in Islamabad.

"Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me. The reason is because we've won," Trump told reporters in Washington.

"We're in very deep negotiations with Iran. We win regardless. We've defeated them militarily," Trump said.

"We defeated their navy, we defeated their air force, we defeated their antiaircraft, we defeated their radar. We defeated their leaders. Their leaders are all dead...we'll open up the Strait, even though we don't use it, because we have a lot of other countries in the world that do use it, that are either afraid or weak..."

"Regardless what happens, we win. We totally defeated that country. And so let's see what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don't. From the standpoint of America, we win," he said.

Earlier, the White House said that talks were "face-to-face" and involved "a suite of experts" as well as US Vice President JD Vance, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Alex Raufoglu

WASHINGTON -- A senior White House official said that "in-person" trilateral talks involving US, Iranian, and Pakistani officials were ongoing in the early morning hours of April 12 as negotiators looked to battle through several contentious issues in hopes of reaching a peace deal.

World of the apparent face-to-face talks came at 2 a.m. Pakistan time. Local officials said talks had stretched for about eight hours over three sessions.

It was not immediately clear how long the talks would last or if further sessions would be held later on April 12.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he was not concerned about whether a deal would be struck in Islamabad.

"Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me. The reason is because we've won," Trump told reporters in Washington.

"We're in very deep negotiations with Iran. We win regardless. We've defeated them militarily," Trump said.

"We defeated their navy, we defeated their air force, we defeated their antiaircraft, we defeated their radar. We defeated their leaders. Their leaders are all dead...we'll open up the Strait, even though we don't use it, because we have a lot of other countries in the world that do use it, that are either afraid or weak..."

"Regardless what happens, we win. We totally defeated that country. And so let's see what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don't. From the standpoint of America, we win," he said.

Earlier, the White House said that talks were "face-to-face" and involved "a suite of experts" as well as US Vice President JD Vance, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Iranian state media reported that negotiators had "serious disagreement" over the Strait of Hormuz (see our previous post for more details on that issue). The Financial Times reported this was causing a "stalemate."

Iranian media also reported that the current talks with US officials may be the "last opportunity" to settle a "framework" for a deal with Washington.

The US-Iran talks are being mediated by Pakistan, the host nation for the meeting.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Alex Raufoglu

WASHINGTON -- A senior White House official told RFE/RL that trilateral talks in Islamabad were "ongoing," several hours after they began.

The official did not add any details on the talks, that the White House said earlier were taking place "face-to-face" and involved "a suite of experts" as well as US Vice President JD Vance, President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Iranian state media have reported that talks will continue into the night or tomorrow. They have also said that negotiators had "serious disagreement" over the Strait of Hormuz (see our previous post for more details on that issue). The Financial Times reported this was causing a "stalemate."

The US-Iran talks are being mediated by Pakistan, the host nation for the meeting.