IRAN WAR LATEST: Doubt surrounds Iran-U.S. talks as ceasefire is set to expire

Here are the updates for Tuesday on the war in Iran

Published Apr 21, 2026  •  2 minute read

A structure adorned with Iranian flags and a portrait of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a young man, is placed in a park in northern Tehran on April 21, 2026, amid a ceasefire in the region. Photo by - /AFP via Getty Images

The prospect of a second round of talks was uncertain on Tuesday after Iran’s chief negotiator said Iran wouldn’t negotiate in the face of threats.

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This, while U.S. President Donald Trump offered mixed messages about the path ahead for the Iran war, declaring that he was in no rush to end the conflict.

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Iran’s chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker, Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, wrote in a post on X that “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” and the Islamic Republic has been preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”

Trump indicated that he still expects to send his negotiating team to Islamabad, Pakistan, for talks, even as Iran insisted it would not take part until the U.S. leader dialled back his demands.

The U.S. president said he’s “highly unlikely” to renew the ceasefire before it expires on Wednesday.

Here is the latest on the Iran war on Tuesday:

Israeli strikes kill 5 in Gaza

Israeli strikes killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, hospital authorities said.

The Nasser hospital said four suspected militants were killed when a drone strike hit a security point overnight in the southern city of Khan Younis.

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Another man was wounded in the strike, it said.

Israel’s military didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The militant-maned point was around 4 kilometres west of the so-called Yellow Line, separating the Israeli-controlled areas from the rest of Gaza, according to relatives of those killed.

In Beit Lahiya, a 30-year-old woman was killed when the Israeli navy opened fire toward tents sheltering displaced people early Tuesday, the Shifa hospital said.

A commercial vessel is seen off the coast of Dubai on April 20, 2026. Oil prices jumped sharply on April 20 over fears hostilities could resume in the weeks-long war, after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again over the weekend following its brief reopening on Friday in recognition of a ceasefire in Lebanon. Photo by - /AFP via Getty Images

No delegation from Iran in Islamabad: State TV

Iranian state television issued an on-screen alert saying that “no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad … so far” as speculation about possible talks with the U.S. grows.

The on-screen alert likely reflects the internal debate ongoing within Iran’s theocracy as it weighs how to respond to the U.S. Navy’s seizure of an Iranian container ship over the weekend.

Iranian state television has long been controlled by hard-liners within Iran’s theocracy.

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So far, no official has acknowledged that a delegation will be heading to Pakistan, where officials have been on standby for days now for the possible talks.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is expected to lead an American team to the talks.

Iran has offered no word on who could lead its delegation.

Man hanged in Iran over January protests

Iran said that it hanged a man convicted of allegedly setting fire to a mosque in northern Tehran during nationwide protests in January.

The Mizan news agency identified the man as Amir Ali Mir Jafari. There was no immediate information about Jafari among activists who follow Iran.

Iran has been accused of repeatedly holding closed-door trials against suspects who can’t challenge the evidence against them.

Iran already has hanged people from the January protests, something that Trump had described as a red line before the recent war.

— With files from The Associated Press

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