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Negotiations are being conducted with the involvement of Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey.
The United States, Iran, and regional mediators are discussing a possible 45-day ceasefire that could halt the war in the Middle East. According to sources cited by Axios, the chances of reaching a short-term agreement within the next 48 hours are low, but this effort remains the only opportunity to avoid a major escalation, including strikes on civilian infrastructure in Iran and retaliatory attacks on energy and water systems in Gulf countries.
Initially, the 10-day deadline set by Donald Trump for Iran was due to expire on Monday, April 6. However, on Sunday he extended it by 20 hours and announced a new deadline on Truth Social — Tuesday at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Later, Trump told Axios that active negotiations are ongoing and a deal could still be reached by Tuesday, April 7. He added that chances remain high, but warned that failure could lead to strikes on infrastructure vital to Iran’s civilian population.
According to four sources, negotiations are also taking place via direct message exchanges between Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. A U.S. official said Washington has sent several proposals in recent days, but Iran has not yet accepted them.
Mediators are discussing a two-stage framework. The first stage would involve a 45-day ceasefire, during which negotiations on a final settlement would continue. This period could be extended if talks require more time. The second stage would involve a comprehensive agreement to end the war.
Key sticking points remain the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the issue of Iran’s highly enriched uranium — including whether it would be exported or diluted. Mediators believe these issues can only be resolved as part of a final agreement, not during the initial ceasefire phase.
These factors are Iran’s main leverage in negotiations, and Tehran is unlikely to fully concede them during a temporary truce. Sources say mediators are exploring whether Iran could take partial steps on both issues in the first phase. At the same time, they are working to secure guarantees from the Trump administration that the ceasefire would be stable and not used to resume hostilities.
Meanwhile, Iran has repeatedly rejected ultimatums from Trump to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Deputy head of the Iranian presidential press office Mehdi Tabatabaei stated that Iran would only reopen the strait after receiving compensation for war damages under a “new legal regime” based on transit fees.
