Washington/Islamabad, April 10 -- As a fragile two-week ceasefire holds in West Asia, US Vice President JD Vance departed for Islamabad to hold critical talks with Iranian officials.

The discussions, which are scheduled for Saturday, come amid Iran's bold move to impose new conditions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, including transit fees payable in the Iranian rial, a move signaling Tehran's intent to assert control over one of the world's most strategic maritime chokepoints.

The head of Iran's Parliament National Security Commission indicated that, under a parliamentary proposal, all transit fees through the Strait would be settled in Iran's national currency, according to a post from Iran's Consulate General in Mumbai on X. ...