The US is willing to begin a blockade of Iranian ports and a partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz

A Pakistani government official confirmed to CBS News that Islamabad has stepped up efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table.

Despite the lack of success in the historic head-to-head round of weekend talksPakistani authorities say they remain optimistic about the prospects for further dialogue between the two sides.

Notably, there appears to be an element of name change underway, as officials now refer to the “Islamabad Talks” as the “Islamabad Process,” a change that suggests an effort to organize the talks as a continuous track of officials rather than a single meeting.

A high-level source also said on Monday that Pakistan is in contact with both Washington and Tehran, urging them to resume dialogue as soon as possible. The main objective is to reach a usable understanding before the current setting – set to expire around April 22 – expires, to prevent a return to all war. Efforts are now underway to conduct a second round of negotiations in this small window.

According to the source, these engagements were carried out under the direct orders of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Marshal Asim Munir. Both played an important role in bringing the two sides together, they were present at different times during the 21 hours of incomplete negotiations and they were working hard to move the project forward.

CBS News was told that Pakistan is now awaiting responses from the US and Iran.

President Trump took to his Truth Social platform shortly after midnight EDT Monday and said, “The United States is Interdicting Ships Entering or Leaving Iranian Ports on April 13 at 10:00 AM ET. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT.”

Mr. Trump also said that the US will block the Strait of Hormuz. Iran controlled the flow of people through a narrow waterway that was important for the export of oil, fertilizer and many other important goods.

But US Central Command says the US Navy will not intercept ships passing through the strait to and from non-Iranian ports.

The US moves will come after marathon talks in Islamabad over the weekend between US, Iranian and Pakistani negotiators failed to reach an agreement to end the Mideast war.

Iran’s military says the blockade of US warships starting Monday will be illegal and criminal, warning that no Gulf ports will be safe if theirs is threatened.

“The restrictions imposed by America on the criminal’s movement at sea and in international waters are illegal and an example of crime,” said a statement issued by the main center of Iran’s military, Khatam Al-Anbiya, read on state television.

“If the security of the ports of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be safe,” he said.

President Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV in a long social media post Sunday night, calling the pope “Weak on crime, and worse on foreign policy” he added, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s right Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”

Leo has been critical of the Iran war and has made statements in the past opposing other priorities of the Trump administration, such as a continued crackdown on illegal immigration.

Mr. Trump repeated many of his thoughts about Leo to reporters Sunday night after arriving in Washington, DC, saying, “We don’t like a pope who says it’s okay to have a nuclear weapon.”

Leo had called the threat of Mr. Trump’s complete destruction of Iranian civilization is “really unacceptable,” and he encouraged people to “contact the authorities – political leaders, congressmen – to ask them, tell them to work for peace and reject war, always.”

On Saturday, although he did not mention Mr. Trump by name, Leo said during a prayer for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica, “Enough with idolatry and money! Enough with displays of power! Enough with war! True power is seen in serving life.”

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Iranian authorities will execute at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest number since 1989, two non-governmental organizations said on Monday, warning that they are at risk of using the death penalty more heavily after protests in January and a war against Israel and the US.

The number of executions represents a 68 percent increase from the 975 people Iran executed in 2024 and includes 48 women hanged, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) said in their joint annual report.

If the Islamic Republic “survives the current crisis, there is a great risk that genocide will be used more and more as a tool of oppression and repression,” the report said.

The IHR – which requires two sources to confirm the executions, most of which are not reported in the official Iranian media – said the figure represents an “absolute minimum” for the number of executions in 2025.

The report said the number of executions was the highest since IHR began tracking it in 2008 and the highest reported since 1989, the early years of the Islamic revolution.

NGOs also warned that “hundreds of arrested protesters remain at risk of death sentences and executions” after being charged with murder during a January 2026 protest against the authorities – was completed fraudulently that human rights organizations say it left thousands dead and tens of thousands arrested.

“By creating fears of four to five murders per day by 2025, the authorities tried to prevent new protests and extend their crumbling law,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.