(VOVWORLD) - The White House said plans for talks with Iran remain "fluid", adding that any speculation "should not be deemed as final".
 A view of the Persian Gulf from Bushehr, Iran. (Photo: VNA)
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Regional media, citing sources, reported on Monday that the United States and Iran could hold direct negotiations in Pakistan as early as this week, aimed at ending the ongoing conflict.
Egypt, Pakistan, and several Gulf states have been acting as intermediaries, relaying messages between Washington and Tehran. Some Western sources said the US administration wants Iran’s negotiating team to be represented by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is believed to wield significant influence, instead of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has led previous rounds of talks.
Israeli media reported that Iran has set out conditions for ending the conflict, including guarantees against further attacks, the closure of US bases in the region, and compensation. Iranian authorities have not confirmed these claims.
US President Donald Trump on Monday extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, ordering the Pentagon to delay “any and all military strikes” against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.
“I am pleased to report that the United States of America and the country of Iran have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, hours before the March 23 deadline. Iranian officials, however, continue to deny that any negotiations with the United States are taking place.
 An LPG carrier is anchored as shipping traffic declines in the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.–Israel conflict with Iran, March 11, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier) |
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday night that its forces were continuing to deploy the new Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a short-range ballistic missile system, in operations against Iran.
The Israel Defense Forces said its air force had struck key security headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij paramilitary force in the Tehran metropolitan area.
Iran, in response, launched five ballistic missile attacks targeting central and southern Israel. No official figures on casualties or damage have been released. Iran’s Defense Council also warned that it would lay naval mines across sea lanes in the Persian Gulf if its waters or islands were attacked.
Russia called for a political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such an approach was the only effective way to ease tensions in the region. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichisaid Japan will work with the international community to pursue all possible diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.