President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that a second round of talks between the United States and Iran could take place as soon as Friday, as Pakistani officials pointed to ongoing mediation efforts aimed at restarting negotiations.
"Good news" about renewed discussions may come within the next "36 to 72 hours," sources in Islamabad told the New York Post on Wednesday, citing what they described as positive diplomatic engagement with Tehran.
Asked about the potential breakthrough, Trump responded in a text message to the newspaper that "It's possible! President DJT."
The update comes as Trump is giving Iran's warring internal factions a short window to unify behind a coherent counteroffer or risk the collapse of the ceasefire he extended Tuesday, U.S. officials familiar with the matter told Axios.
U.S. negotiators believe a deal to end the war and address Iran's remaining nuclear program is still achievable, but officials have growing concerns about whether anyone in Tehran has the authority to agree to terms.
"We saw that there is an absolute fracture inside Iran between the negotiators and the military — with neither side having access to the supreme leader, who is not responsive," a U.S. official said.
U.S. officials first identified those divisions after the initial round of talks in Islamabad, when it became clear that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi and his deputies had rejected key elements discussed by Iran's civilian negotiators.
The internal split spilled into public view last week when Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, only for IRGC leaders to refuse to implement the move and publicly criticize him.
In the days that followed, Iran offered no substantive response to the latest U.S. proposal and declined to commit to a second round of talks in Pakistan.
The fractures have been compounded by leadership instability following the assassination of former security council chief Ali Larijani, who had played a central role in coordinating Iran's decision-making, U.S. officials said.
His successor, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, has struggled to effectively bridge divisions between the military, civilian leadership, and the supreme leader, according to one official.
Vice President JD Vance had prepared to travel to Islamabad to lead the next round of talks, but the trip was scrapped after Iranian officials failed to confirm participation.
Air Force Two remained on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews for hours before the decision was made to stand down, while White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner redirected their travel plans to Washington.
Trump ultimately opted to extend the ceasefire rather than escalate militarily following consultations Tuesday with his national security team, including Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.
"The degree of the fracture became clear in the last few days, and the question was: does it make any sense to go to Islamabad like that?" a U.S. official said. "So the decision was to give the diplomatic efforts a little bit more time."
U.S. officials and allies say Trump is increasingly inclined to wind down the conflict after achieving key military objectives, though the option of renewed strikes remains if diplomacy fails.
"It certainly looks like Trump doesn't want to use military force anymore and has made a decision to end the war," one U.S. source close to Trump said.
The update also follows Trump's public announcement Tuesday that he would extend the current ceasefire while awaiting a unified response from Iran's leadership.
"I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other," he said in a post on Truth Social.
In a separate Truth Social post late Tuesday, Trump described mounting economic pressure on Iran.
"Iran is collapsing financially! They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately – Starving for cash! Losing 500 Million Dollars a day. Military and Police complaining that they are not getting paid. SOS!!!" he wrote.
He also emphasized the blockade as a key point of leverage.
"Iran doesn't want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day," Trump wrote. "They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to save face."
Pakistani officials have continued backchannel engagement with Iranian counterparts in recent days as part of an intensified push to secure a second round of talks, a source familiar with the effort said.
"The ceasefire is holding despite heightened rhetoric, indicating positive intent on both sides," the source said. "No military escalation from either side."
"Pakistan remains the key mediator," the person added, noting Islamabad is maintaining contact with both sides as it works to bring them back to the negotiating table.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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