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US, Iran likely to hold talks on Thursday; venue, delegation under consideration
Two US officials said discussions were still underway about a new round of talks, adding that the talks could happen on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signalled a possible second round of Iran talks that could happen in Pakistan “over the next two days”. As per reports, though, Islamabad is not the only possible venue this time. Geneva in Switzerland is the other possible location being discussed for the new round of talks.
This comes after the first round of talks ended at the weekend without a deal in Islamabad. It remains unclear if the same level of delegation would be expected to attend, US officials told news agency AFP.
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During an interview with the New York Post, Trump said that “something could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there”, reffering to Islamabad as a place for peace talks.
"It's more likely, you know why? Because the field marshal is doing a great job," Trump was quoted as saying. Trump was referring to Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Two US officials told AFP that discussions were still underway about a new round of talks, adding that the talks could happen on Thursday.
A diplomat from one of the mediating countries said that Tehran and Washington had agreed to it.
Also read: US wants 20 years, Iran can do 5: Nuclear ban terms likely holding up deal, says report
While officials indicated a likely date, the venue, schedule and composition of delegations are yet to be finalised, with Islamabad and Geneva under consideration as possible hosts.
Two Pakistani officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the first talks were part of an ongoing diplomatic process rather than a one-off effort.
Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also hinted that the negotiations have started, stating that “US has begun negotiations with Iran and has now identified interlocutors capable of representing all three branches of Iran government.”
Also read: US, Iran to begin next round of talks likely this week or next
What happened in first round of talks?
The first round of talks held in Islamabad over the weekend ended without yielding results. The face-to-face talks between the US and Iran were held after 47 years.
One of the sticking points of the talks remained the Strait of Hormuz, with the Iranian media saying that the other side was making “excessive demands” regarding the Strait. Shortly after, US President Donald Trump imposed a move to block ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.
Meanwhile, from the US side, Vice President JD Vance said that the “good news” is that they have a number of “substance agreement", but was quick to add that the bad news is that they have not reached an agreement. ”That is bad news for Iran, much more than it is bad news for the United States of America," he said.
