Direct United States-Iran negotiations failed to reach a resolution on April 11 after a lengthy session, the clearest sign yet that the two sides remained far apart on the terms Washington demanded of Tehran's nuclear and missile programs.
Even as the talks foundered, military facts on the ground were shifting. US Navy destroyers entered the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the war began, and American forces began the conditions-setting work for mine clearance in the waterway.
How the Ceasefire Came Together
In the weeks that followed, both sides found reasons to pause. Iran's economy was buckling under the closed strait and expanded sanctions; the United States faced rising energy costs at home and questions in Congress about the open-ended nature of the campaign.
A ceasefire agreed later in April held through the spring, at least on paper. Analysts cautioned at the time that ceasefires built on mutual exhaustion rather than a political settlement tend to be the most fragile kind; a caution that would prove well placed within months.
