Sanctions relief is the sticking point. That is the one issue the Wall Street Journal singled out as capable of wrecking a new round of US-Iran talks before it starts.
The paper reported on May 8, 2026 that negotiators could meet again in Islamabad as early as the following week. Washington and Tehran are working through mediators on a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding. If they agree on it, the document would set the ground rules for a month of negotiations aimed at ending the war.
What the draft covers
Per the reports, the framework touches Iran’s nuclear program, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and the handling of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile, including a possible transfer abroad. The Journal’s sources stressed that “key issues remain unresolved and could still derail the talks.” The scope of sanctions relief for Tehran is the biggest gap.
Pakistan is again the host. It brokered the ceasefire on April 8, and talks in Islamabad on April 11 ended without a lasting settlement.
How the war got here
The fighting began in February 2026, when the United States and Israel struck Iran and Tehran retaliated in ways that disrupted shipping. On May 1, the White House told Congress that hostilities with Iran had ended, although American forces remain deployed in the region. Iran sent revised proposals through Pakistan on April 30.
President Trump has voiced doubts about Iran’s earlier peace offers while his team keeps working the phones. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington expected Tehran’s formal reply on Friday.
Nothing is scheduled. The Journal’s wording was conditional, and the talks depend on the memorandum being finished first.
Sources
- US-Iran Talks Could Resume Next Week
- US-Iran Talks May Resume in Islamabad
- US-Iran talks could resume in Pakistan next week, WSJ report says
