Trump says US–Iran talks could resume 'over next two days' as blockade bites

Washington says no ships have passed its blockade in 24 hours; Qatari mediators report early progress after marathon Tehran talks.

The weekend round of negotiations in Pakistan ended without a deal, but Trump struck an optimistic note, saying talks could resume 'over the next two days'. Washington says its blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas has stopped all shipping traffic in its first 24 hours, tightening the economic screws on Tehran.

Qatari mediators have been shuttling between the sides — reports suggest more than 12 hours of talks in Tehran yielded early progress. Iranian outlets also reported an explosion in Tehran, while China condemned the blockade as Beijing's Xi Jinping warned Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez that the world was slipping into the 'law of the jungle'.

For India, the stakes are measured in barrels: any escalation around the Strait of Hormuz would jolt global oil prices at a time when India's crude import bill has already surged. New Delhi will be watching the next 48 hours closely.