Pakistan is confident it can get Iran to attend talks with the United States, a senior Pakistani government official told Reuters on Monday.
“We have received a positive signal from Iran. Things are fluid but we are trying that they should be here when we start the talks tomorrow or a day after,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The source added Pakistan is actively engaged with Tehran and Washington as U.S. President Donald Trump’s ceasefire deadline looms.
This came hours after Reuters broke the news about US President Donald Trump telling Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir he would consider concerns about the Strait of Hormuz blockade during a phone call.
Trump and Munir discussed the issue in a call in which Munir warned that the blockade was a hurdle to peace talks with Iran, the source said. The exchange underscored Pakistan’s role as mediator at a moment when hopes for dialogue were unraveling.
Meanwhile on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced it would not send a delegation to Pakistan for the anticipated second round of talks with the United States. Spokesperson Esmail Baqai told reporters in Tehran: “In the current circumstances, dialogue with the United States is not possible. We cannot trust America. We have no intention of participating in new negotiations with America. America has violated the ceasefire. We have informed the Pakistani mediator.”
Iran pulls out of Islamabad talks, declares dialogue with U.S. “impossible”
