Donald Trump says US negotiators heading to Pakistan for talks with Iran

US President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office of the White House (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

President Donald Trump said that US negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for talks with Iran, lifting hopes of extending a ceasefire set to expire this week even as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.

The prospect of talks on the horizon, which Iran did not immediately confirm, came as ships remain unable to transit the critical waterway amid threats from Iran and a US blockade on ships heading to and from Iranian ports.