Pakistan announced it would host talks between the US and Iran to bring the month-long war to an end.
The announcement followed talks between the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye in Islamabad as part of a diplomatic push to resolve the conflict.
US-Iran Talks in Pakistan
Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar unveiled on Sunday that Islamabad would facilitate potential talks between the US and Iran.
“Pakistan says it would be honored to host and support meaningful negotiations between the two sides aimed at securing a comprehensive and lasting settlement to the conflict,” he said.
He noted that both Washington and Tehran expressed confidence in Islamabad to broker the talks. Moreover, the UN, China and several friendly countries supported Pakistan’s peace efforts, Dar added.
Regional Consultations in Islamabad
Islamabad hosted a quadrilateral ministerial meeting on Sunday, bringing together the top diplomats of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye. The meeting focused on ways to secure an early, permanent end to the war.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan took part in the consultations, during which they discussed the recent regional developments and ongoing coordination to end the conflict, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry. They also underscored the importance of enhancing diplomatic efforts to address the crisis and promote regional security and stability.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister briefed his regional counterparts on the prospects of possible US-Iran talks in Islamabad. Dar pointed to a unified position on “containing the situation, reducing the risk of military escalation and creating space for meaningful negotiations.”
The Ministers also reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only effective path to regional peace and stability.
Trump’s Reaction
US President Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone regarding the ongoing negotiations with Iran. He confirmed on Sunday that Washington and Tehran have been meeting “directly and indirectly,” reported Reuters.
“I think we’ll make a deal with them, I’m pretty sure, but it’s possible we won’t,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. Calling Iran’s new leaders “very reasonable,” Trump said that the US was “doing extremely well” in negotiations with Iran.
Asked about Iran’s response to a 15-point proposal presented by the US, Trump noted that Tehran responded, according to the Associated Press (AP). “They gave us most of the points. Why wouldn’t they?” he said, without providing details.
Ground Invasion Plans
The US has deployed additional troops to the Middle East, including 2,500 Marines, amid reports of a potential ground operation in Iran.
In light of this, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, accused Washington of using the talks in Pakistan as a cover for its planned ground invasion.
He warned that Iranian forces were “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”
Qalibaf added that “as long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation.”
Meanwhile, Trump suggested that the US could seize Iran’s oil by taking control of Kharg Island – Iran’s crude export hub which serves as a terminal for 90% of the country’s oil shipments.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump raised the idea of taking Iranian oil. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options. It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while,” he said.
