By Robbie Gramer
As the U.S. prepares for another round of peace talks with Iran in Pakistan this week, President Trump faces five broad options.
1. Stick to his guns: Trump has presented Iran with demands to freeze enrichment of uranium for at least 20 years and remove highly enriched uranium from its territory, as well as fully end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. These are red lines for the president, senior administration officials said.
Weeks of U.S. and Israeli strikes devastated Iran's military and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports is ratcheting up pressure on an already weakened Iranian economy, administration officials said. But so far, the Iranian government has refused to ease its blockade of the strait and signaled it will not abandon its nuclear enrichment program.
If Trump refuses to budge on these demands, there's a chance that Iran relents in negotiations-but also a risk Iran refuses and war breaks out again.
2. Buy some time: Both sides could walk away from the talks in Islamabad without a final deal, but at least a "memorandum of understanding" that outlines the broad parameters of what an understanding could entail in the future and an agreement to extend the 10-day cease-fire in the war again. This would buy time for more diplomacy.
3. Compromise: There are ample ways to hash out a compromise, officials and analysts said. One idea negotiators are floating: Iran agrees to a 20-year freeze on enriching uranium to higher levels, but after the first 10 years can conduct nuclear-related research or produce a modest amount of low-enriched uranium for at least another 10 years.
Other variations of compromise could include Iran agreeing to give up its stockpile of 60 percent or 20 percent enriched uranium, but keeping its stockpile of lower-enriched uranium.
It's unclear if Trump would accept compromise proposals here. There's no discounting the likelihood Iran secretly enriches to weapons-grade levels again in the future.
4. Restart war: Trump has warned that he isn't inclined to extend the cease-fire again if talks in Pakistan fail. Renewing the war would open Iran to another round of devastating strikes, but it carries risks for the U.S., too.
The war is controversial at home, opening rifts within the Republican Party and driving up energy prices and inflation across the U.S. Defense officials have also raised fears of the U.S. running low on critical munitions in the Iran war that would be needed for the U.S. military in other parts of the world.
5. Walk away: Trump's fifth option to just walk away from the whole endeavor is the most unlikely, U.S. officials and people close to the White House said, but it's a fear that senior Arab and European officials have raised in private discussions among one another after the first round of talks failed.
Trump could claim victory and walk away from the war, leaving a status quo that amounts to a nightmare scenario for many close U.S. partners: A wounded but intact Iranian regime, with an ability to keep imposing tolls on the Strait of Hormuz and the know-how to rebuild a nuclear program.
This item is part of a Wall Street Journal live coverage event. The full stream can be found by searching P/WSJL (WSJ Live Coverage).
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 20, 2026 17:25 ET (21:25 GMT)
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