(SeaPRwire) –   Following weekend marathon talks that didn’t result in an agreement, officials are said to be considering a second round of negotiations aimed at ending the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Sources told CNN that President Donald Trump and his administration are willing to restart face-to-face talks once he thinks Iran is ready to meet his demands. Officials noted this could involve a second meeting with Iranian representatives before the two-week cease-fire ends on April 21, or possibly extending the truce.

Pakistani officials told the Associated Press that their country has offered to host a second face-to-face meeting in Islamabad. A regional source told CNN that Turkey—one of the intermediaries involved in weeks of talks—is also intervening to help bridge the gaps between the U.S. and Iran.

The Trump administration has also increased pressure on Tehran to agree to its demands by enforcing a naval blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports via the Strait of Hormuz. This narrow waterway—through which 20% of the world’s oil trade flows—has long been a critical leverage point for Iran, which militarized the strait at the war’s outset and has permitted only a limited number of ships to pass through.

“They really want to strike a deal badly,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday afternoon. The president added that Iran had contacted the U.S. earlier that day.

“Following 21 hours of negotiations, the Iranians opted to pursue a nuclear weapon instead of peace. The president has already ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to end Iranian extortion, and he wisely keeps all other options open,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told TIME on Monday, reacting to reports that Trump is considering limited military strikes on Iran alongside the blockade.

“Anyone claiming to know what President Trump will do next is just guessing,” Wales added.

TIME has contacted the White House to request additional comments.

However, the naval blockade has also heightened tensions over the possibility of renewed conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that it would view U.S. military vessels entering the Strait of Hormuz as a cease-fire violation. In a Monday Truth Social post, Trump warned: “If any Iranian ships come anywhere near our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same kill system we use against drug dealers on boats at sea”—a clear reference to the administration’s lethal strikes on suspected drug boats in the eastern Pacific.

Iran has also previously stated that it wants to retain control of the strait even after the war ends, possibly charging tolls as war reparations. Early Tuesday, Reuters reported—citing data from LSEG, MarineTraffic, and Kpler—that a Chinese tanker under U.S. sanctions transited the strait despite the naval blockade.

Ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have caused oil and gas prices to skyrocket globally, along with supply chain bottlenecks impacting fertilizers and other commodities. The U.N.’s food and agriculture agency warned Monday that these issues could lead to a global food crisis.

At the same time, the U.K. has announced it will not participate in Trump’s naval blockade. Earlier in the war, NATO allies rejected Trump’s request for military support to secure the strait—much to the president’s frustration.

Vice President J.D. Vance—who led the weekend negotiations in Islamabad—told Fox News on Monday that a fully open Strait of Hormuz is a red line for the U.S.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in an X post that the two sides were “inches away” from an agreement when Iran faced “maximalism, moving goalposts, and a blockade” from the U.S.

Israel’s intensifying attacks on Lebanon— which have killed over 2,000 people since March 2—have also put the possibility of a longer-term truce between the U.S. and Iran at risk. Iran had previously insisted that any cease-fire must cover Lebanon and other areas, but Israel and the U.S. disagreed. Lebanon’s Culture Minister Ghassan Salame told Al Jazeera that Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors are scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to discuss “a pause in military activity if not a full cease-fire.” However, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem reportedly urged Lebanon to cancel the meeting, dismissing the talks as useless.

Nuclear disputes continue to block progress

One of the U.S.’s key demands is that Iran abandon its nuclear program—a sticking point in previous nuclear agreement talks, including those halted by Israeli strikes on Iran last June and renewed discussions just before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Iranian officials have previously noted that mistrust of the U.S. has been high since Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal negotiated under Barack Obama in 2018.

According to the New York Times, Trump administration officials proposed a 20-year suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment on Saturday; Iranian negotiators responded with a five-year suspension offer, which the U.S. turned down. American negotiators are also said to want Iran to dismantle its major nuclear enrichment facilities and surrender over 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium—material U.S. officials claim was buried underground during last year’s U.S. bombing campaign. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News in early March that the U.S. had previously proposed Iran stop all uranium enrichment for 10 years in exchange for the U.S. funding its nuclear fuel, but Iran rejected this offer.

Russia has reoffered to take Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile as part of a possible agreement, per Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

Sources told CNN that Trump administration officials are reluctant to restart the war, particularly since it has caused prices to rise for Americans and is widely unpopular among the public.

Vance told Fox News that Iranian negotiators “moved toward our position, … but they didn’t go far enough.” He added that the Iranian team had to return to Tehran from Islamabad to secure approval for any deal with the U.S.

“I believe there’s a significant deal possible here, but it’s up to the Iranians to make the next move,” Vance stated.