What Hope for the U.S.-Iran Talks in Islamabad?
From Hold Your Fire! by International Crisis Group
April 11, 2026 · 1h 5m · Season 6 · Episode 30
About this episode
The episode discusses the recent ceasefire involving Iran, Israel, and the U.S., exploring the implications and reactions from various stakeholders.
In this episode of Hold Your Fire! , Richard is joined by Crisis Group experts Ali Vaez, Yasmine Farouk, Mairav Zonszein, Michael Hanna and Stephen Pomper to discuss the announced ceasefire between Iran, Israel and the U.S. and what might follow. Richard first asks Ali why Iran agreed to a ceasefire, decision-making in Tehran and Iran’s approach to the Islamabad talks. He then speaks with Yasmine about Gulf reactions to the ceasefire, the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and divergent Gulf Arab positions on the negotiations. Richard and Mairav then discuss how Israel views the ceasefire as operations continue in Lebanon and whether Israelis see the war as a success so far. Finally, Richard turns to Michael and Steve to discuss Trump’s threats against Iran, the frantic diplomacy behind the ceasefire, the risk of renewed escalation and what recent weeks reveal about the erosion of international law. For more, check out our Middle East & North Africa page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Richard
Guests: Ali Vaez, Yasmine Farouk, Mairav Zonszein, Michael Hanna, Stephen Pomper
Topics covered
- U.S.-Iran relations
- Middle East diplomacy
- ceasefire discussions
- Gulf reactions
- Israel's military strategy
- international law
Keywords
- U.S.-Iran talks
- ceasefire
- Gulf Arab positions
- Strait of Hormuz
- international law
- Trump threats
- Lebanon operations
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Crisis Group
Places: Iran, Israel, U.S., Strait of Hormuz, Islamabad
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