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Second round of talks likely? Pak delegation heads to Iran with US message
The Pakistani delegation might also plan for a second round of talks between both countries.
A Pakistani delegation is on its way to Iran to convey a message from the United States, Iran's state media reported on Wednesday.
The delegation might also plan for a second round of talks between both countries, Reuters news agency cited the state media as reporting. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei had also, earlier today during a weekly press briefing, confirmed that Tehran was “very likely to receive a Pakistani delegation” as a continuation of discussions in Islamabad.
US-Iran talks in Pakistan's Islamabad over the weekend had failed to produce any decisive outcome.
“Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged through Pakistan,” AFP cited Baqaei as saying. Baqaei also said some of the US demands during the talks were “unreasonable and unrealistic”, without elaborating further.
United States President Donald Trump had also hinted that peace talks with Tehran could resume this week. This comes even as the US military put up a naval blockade which it said had cut off maritime trade with Iran. Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday that a fresh round of dialogue with Iran in Pakistan was imminent “over the next two days.”
US trying to step up pressure on Tehran
While Islamabad is working towards bringing both sides together for a second round of talks, senior Pakistan sources told AFP, the US is attempting to step up pressure on Iran.
The US Central Command said on social media that its blockade had been “fully implemented”, adding that American forces “have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea.” However, maritime tracking data on Tuesday showed that several ships sailing from Iranian ports had crossed the Strait, despite the US blockade, AFP reported.
The US-Iran talks have primarily been marred by two sticking points – Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme. Trump has maintained that any deal between both countries must permanently bar Iran from having a nuclear programme. Meanwhile, Tehran has insisted that its uranium enrichment was only for civilian purposes. US Vice-President J D Vance, who was leading the American delegation during talks in Islamabad, said Tuesday that Trump had pledged to “make Iran thrive” if it was ready forego its nuclear programme.
“That's the kind of Trumpian grand bargain that the president has put on the table,” AFP cited Vance as saying. Vance said US would “keep on negotiating and try to make it happen.”
