By Mukesh 
Top-level peace talks between the United States and Iran entered a second day early Sunday (April 12, 2026), as Washington piled pressure by saying it had sent minesweeping ships through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
In the Pakistani capital Islamabad, Vice President J.D. Vance on Saturday (April 11, 2026) became the highest-ranking American to meet directly with Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic revolution, days after the United States and Israel halted their war that had plunged West Asia and global economy into tumult.