ISLAMABAD — “Good news” about a second round of talks between the US and Iran may be coming as soon as Friday, President Trump and Pakistani sources told The Post on Wednesday.

Sources in Islamabad touted positive mediation efforts with Tehran, renewing the possibility of more peace talks within the next “36 to 72 hours.” Asked about this possible breakthrough by The Post, Trump, in a text message, said: “It’s possible! President DJT.”

The incremental update comes a day after the US president announced he would extend the current cease-fire with Iran until its divided leadership can come up with “a unified proposal.”

“I have … directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” he said in a post to Truth Social on Tuesday.

In the hours since, Islamabad has continued working its diplomatic channels with Iran, and the time period was based on an assessment of that work, a Pakistani source said.

“The ceasefire is holding despite heightened rhetoric, indicating positive intent on both sides,” the source said. “No military escalation from either side.”

“Pakistan remains the key mediator,” the person added.

But without a deal — or even talks — Trump continues to weigh more military options and has kept his blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. 

The region remains flush with a military presence so high that experts have said it’s the largest group of forces the US has ever amassed since the 2003 ground invasion of Iraq — and there are still more assets en route.

The USS Boxer and its 4,500-person amphibious group reached the Indo-Pacific region on Saturday, with plans to continue on to assist with the ongoing US naval blockade of Iranian ports, according to the San Diego Herald-Tribune.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials continue to threaten that their fingers are on the “trigger” to escalate the conflict back into a shooting war, with warnings that they’ll fire not just on US assets, but on regional allies in Gulf states — which could bring on an ever larger, longer war.

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The Iranians continue to claim that they will not come to the table until the US lifts economically damaging blockade on its ports — an act they claim violates the ongoing cease-fire.

“A complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the maritime blockade and the hostage-taking of the world’s economy, and if the Zionist warmongering across all fronts is halted; reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such a flagrant breach of the ceasefire,” Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf posted to X on Wednesday.

“They did not achieve their goals through military aggression, nor will they through bullying. The only way forward is to recognize the rights of the Iranian nation,” he added.

Ultimately, it’s “dangerous” for either side to “think it can improve its bargaining position” by flirting with kinetic action amid the cease-fire, Foundation for Defense of Democracies Behnam Taleblu told The Post.

“Both sides have already gone to great lengths to flex that they have a better alternative to climbing down from their negotiating positions,” he said. “That, plus the game of chicken over which negotiating team will depart for Islamabad first and wait makes this incredibly complex and tense situation more so.”

Diplomacy ultimately hinges on Tehran getting its house in order, according to a strategic affairs analyst with insight into discussions inside Pakistan’s foreign affairs and defense ministries.

“Any peace talks at this point will be effectively conditional upon Iran providing a unified response,” the analyst said. “The US stance is that no further negotiations will proceed until Tehran comes up with one, unified offer that represents the consensus of its leadership set-up.”

The source continued: “That is why the current phase is effectively paused until Iran can consolidate its stance into a single negotiating position.”

That sticking point reflects deeper fractures inside Iran’s governing structure, where decision-making power is spread across multiple competing centers between — the elected government, the Guardian Council, the Supreme National Security structures, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

For now, Pakistan’s continues to push mediation and Islamabad is prepared for more high-level talks, viewing the delays as a setback rather than a breakdown in diplomacy.

“The logic is that slowing down now to get a coherent Iranian position increases the chances that any eventual agreement will be durable,”  the analyst said.