Hopes for deal to end Iran war grow, but nuclear issues unresolved

(Reuters)

JERUSALEM/ISLAMABAD, April 16 – Optimism grew on Thursday that the Iran war may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator having made ​a breakthrough on “sticky issues”, a source said, although Iran warned the fate of its nuclear program had not been resolved.

The United States and Pakistan have been talking up the prospects ‌for a deal in the more than six-week war, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying the accord would open the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply flows.

Closure of the strait has triggered the worst oil price shock in history and forced the International Monetary Fund to downgrade its outlook for the global economy, warning prolonged conflict could push the world to the brink of recession.

Pakistan’s army chief and a key figure in the mediation, Field ​Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict after marathon talks held in Islamabad last weekend ended without a deal.

A senior Iranian official ​told Reuters on Thursday that the trip had led to greater hopes for a second round of talks and an extension of the two-week ceasefire, but said ⁠fundamental differences remain over its nuclear program.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that both sides are willing to resume talks, though no date had yet been set.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing ​on Thursday that troops were poised to restart combat operations if a deal was not reached.