The Iran peace talks that didn’t happen

The Iran peace talks that didn’t happen

From The Global Story by BBC World Service

April 23, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the cancellation of US-Iran peace talks and the implications for global trade and food industries.

Why were scheduled talks between the US and Iran suddenly cancelled? On Tuesday, as US vice president JD Vance was due to be flying to Pakistan for mediated talks on ending the war in Iran, Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he was extending the ceasefire agreement, but that the US will continue to block Iranian ports. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane through which 20% of the world’s oil, as well as critical supplies of gas, aluminium and fertiliser is transported, remains a flashpoint, with Iran attacking cargo ships attempting to get through. Today, we speak to the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent, Paul Adams, who is in the capital of Pakistan. Plus, in response to listener demand, we speak to Charlotte Smith, the long-time presenter of the BBC’s Farming Today, about how the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz is affecting the farming and food industries globally. Producers: Hannah Moore, Lucy Pawle and Valerio Esposito Executive producers: James Shield and Richard Fenton-Smith Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

People in this episode

Guests: Paul Adams, Charlotte Smith

Topics covered

  • Iran peace talks
  • US foreign policy
  • Strait of Hormuz
  • global food industry
  • diplomatic relations

Keywords

  • Iran
  • US
  • peace talks
  • Strait of Hormuz
  • diplomacy
  • food industry
  • ceasefire
  • shipping lanes
  • global trade

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC

Places: Pakistan, Strait of Hormuz, Iran, US

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