Talks to end the Iran war could resume in Pakistan over the next two days, says US President Donald Trump, as his war of words with Pope Leo over the conflict continues.

The peace talks update comes after the collapse of weekend negotiations prompted Washington to impose a blockade on Iranian ports.

Officials from Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf also said negotiating teams from the US and Iran could return to Pakistan later this week, although one senior Iranian source said no date ‌had been set.

“You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” Trump was quoted by the New York Post as saying.

The US President also took to social media on Tuesday, US time, to double down on his criticism of the Pope after the religious leader condemned his war and immigration policies.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump urged that “someone please tell Pope Leo” about the killings of protesters by Iran and that “for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable”. 

Trump’s comments ⁠come after Pope Leo warned earlier in the day of the risk of democracies sliding into “majoritarian tyranny”.

The first US pope, Leo wrote in a letter issued by the Vatican about the use of power in democratic societies, and said democracies remained healthy only when they were rooted in moral values.

He has criticised Trump’s decision to launch the war against Iran, saying God rejects the prayers of those who launch wars and have “hands full of blood”.

On Sunday, Trump called the Pope “weak” and “terrible” on crime and foreign policy issues.

Trump followed up his online spray by posting this AI-generated image of himself.

Vice-President JD ‌Vance, who is a Catholic, has also taken issue with Pope Leo’s comments on the war, saying on Tuesday, US time, that he should “be careful” when talking about theology.

Speaking at an event in Georgia, Vance said Trump wanted to make a “grand bargain” with Iran but there was a lot of mistrust between the two countries.

“You are not going to solve that problem overnight,” Vance said.

While the US blockade drew angry rhetoric from Iran, signs that diplomatic engagement might continue helped to calm oil markets, pushing benchmark prices below $US100 per barrel.

Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global waterway for oil and gas transport, since the war began on February 28. Roughly 5000 people have died in the hostilities.

Talks in Islamabad last weekend did not yield an agreement, raising doubts over the survival of a two-week ceasefire that still has a week to run.

Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a key sticking point. The US had proposed a 20-year suspension of all nuclear activity by Iran, while ‌Tehran had suggested a ‌halt of three to five years, according to ⁠people familiar with the proposals.

The US has also pressed for any enriched nuclear material to be removed from Iran.

One source involved in the negotiations in Pakistan ​said backchannel talks since the weekend had produced progress in closing that gap, bringing the two sides closer to a deal that could be put forward at a new round of talks.

US Central Command said no ships made it past its blockade of Iranian ports in the first 24 hours it was in place, while six merchant vessels turned back.

However, shipping data showed the blockade had made little difference to Strait ‌of Hormuz traffic on Tuesday, with ​at least eight ships crossing the waterway.

The International Monetary Fund cut its growth outlook and said the global economy would teeter on the brink ​of recession if the ‌conflict worsens and oil stays above $US100 into 2027.

The IMF revised Australia’s inflation outlook significantly higher, with consumer price growth of 4 per cent in 2026 – exceeding most advanced economies, including the US, Britain and New Zealand.

The International Energy Agency has lowered its forecasts for global oil supply and demand growth.

The United States’ NATO allies, including Britain and France, said they would not be drawn into the conflict ​by taking part in the blockade, although they have offered to help safeguard the strait when an agreement is in place.

Analysts say oil prices are likely to remain elevated for weeks after the strait is fully reopened, due to backlogs, damaged infrastructure and elevated uncertainty.

Further ​complicating prospects ​for peace, Israel has continued to attack Lebanon as it targets Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group.

In Washington, US Secretary of ‌State Marco Rubio hosted a meeting between envoys for Israel and Lebanon, which the State Department described as the first major high-level engagement between the two countries since 1993.

The US State Department said afterwards the two sides agreed to continue their talks.

Israel’s ambassador to the US said he was hopeful the Lebanese government wanted to reduce Hezbollah’s influence, while Lebanon’s ambassador to the US said in a statement the meeting was “constructive”, and the date and location of the next meeting would be announced in due course.

–Reuters