Iran's FM: US 'maximalism' prevented deal in Islamabad

After talks fail, IDF planning for return to war, Trump mulls strikes on Iran — reports

Apparent coordinated leak to TV networks indicate military preparing for collapse of ceasefire; US: Ending nuke program, support for proxies were ‘red lines’ at talks

All three major Hebrew TV networks reported that the IDF is gearing up for renewed conflict with Iran as the ceasefire talks between the United States and the Islamic Republic collapsed, in what appeared to be a coordinated leak by defense officials on Sunday.

The reported preparations come less than a week after a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan went into effect, and less than a day after negotiations in Islamabad between the US and Iran failed to produce a deal to permanently end the war in the Middle East.

Earlier on Sunday, the Ynet news site reported that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed the military to move to a “heightened state of readiness” and to prepare for a resumption of hostilities with Iran.

Then Channel 12 news reported in the evening, without citing any sources, that the IDF is not only gearing up for renewed conflict with Iran, but it is also preparing for a potential Iranian surprise attack on Israel.

The Kan public broadcaster, meanwhile, cited a “senior defense official” as saying that “Israel is interested in renewing the war against Iran,” after the war ended “too early, without sufficient pressure being applied on Iran regarding the nuclear issue and ballistic missiles.”

The report said Israel was awaiting US President Donald Trump’s decision to renew the conflict, at which point the military will attempt to pressure Iran into giving up its nuclear program by striking its energy infrastructure.

Channel 13 similarly reported that the IDF’s level of alert has been raised “significantly” and that Zamir instructed the military “to prepare for an immediate resumption of fighting and ordered the initiation of combat readiness procedures.”

The IDF has not commented on the reports, but last week, while visiting southern Lebanon, Zamir said that the military is “prepared to return to combat [in Iran] with full force if required at any given moment.”

Additionally, Trump and his advisers are also looking at resuming limited military strikes in Iran in addition to the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a way to break a stalemate in peace talks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing officials and people familiar with the matter.

Officials told the Journal that Trump is less likely to restart a full-fledged military campaign due to his distaste for drawn-out wars. The report said Trump may impose a more temporary blockade on Iran while he tries to compel allies to launch armed escorts for ships through the strait.

In a clear sign that diplomatic efforts were at a dead end, the American military said on Sunday it will begin to enforce a naval blockade on Iran starting on Monday, following orders by US President Donald Trump.

The US military said the blockade of Iranian ports would begin on Monday at 10 a.m. ET.

Iran has effectively imposed its own blockade on the key waterway since the US and Israel began striking the country on February 28, a move that has caused mass global economic harm, given that the strait is a chokepoint for about 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is still in touch with both the US and Iran in an attempt to bring them back to the negotiating table, Channel 12 reported.

The main gap is the fate of Iran’s nuclear program and whether it can continue enriching uranium, according to the report.

Negotiators told the outlet that if a compromise can be reached on the nuclear issue, then the other areas of contention — ballistic missiles, the Strait of Hormuz, armed proxies — will fall into place.

The US laid out on Sunday what it said were its red lines in negotiations with Iran over the weekend that ended without a deal.

Iran needed to (1) end all uranium enrichment, (2) dismantle all major nuclear enrichment facilities, (3) retrieve highly enriched uranium, (4) accept a broader peace, security, and de-escalation framework that includes regional allies, (5) end funding for terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and (6) fully open the Strait of Hormuz, charging no tolls for passage, reads a statement attributed to a US official sent to querying reporters.

It was unclear how the US plans on maintaining these lines now that it appears to have pulled out of negotiations entirely. While Trump announced a blockade of the Hormuz, he has not yet announced a return to fighting.

Commenting on the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blamed what he called Washington’s maximalist demands that prevented the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two sides.

“In intensive talks at highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with U.S in good faith to end war,” he wrote on X.

“But when just inches away from “Islamabad MoU”, we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade. Zero lessons earned Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity.”

Iran’s 10-point proposal ahead of the Islamabad talks called for a guaranteed end to the war and sought control over the key waterway. It included ending fighting against Iran’s “regional allies,” explicitly calling for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday that Iranian security forces have the Strait of Hormuz shipping bottleneck under their full control, warning that enemies would be trapped in a “deadly vortex” in the case of any miscalculation.

“All traffic… is under the full control of the armed forces,” the IRGC’s naval command said in a Persian-language post on X after Trump ordered the blockade.

“The enemy will become trapped in a deadly vortex in the strait if it makes the wrong move,” it added, posting a video showing vessels in crosshairs.

In a separate statement released by the IRGC’s public relations office, the force’s naval command insisted that, “contrary to the false claims of some enemy officials,” the Strait of Hormuz is “open to the harmless passage of civilian vessels in compliance with specific relevant regulations.”

It did not give details on the nature of these rules but added: “Any military vessels that intend to approach the Strait of Hormuz under any pretext will be considered in violation of the ceasefire and will be dealt with severely.”

The American military said on Saturday that it had begun a mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that two destroyers, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), “transited the Strait of Hormuz and operated in the Arabian Gulf as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.”

A day after that announcement, Iranian state media published a video ostensibly showing the IRGC navy warning a US Navy missile destroyer to turn back after entering the Strait of Hormuz.