The Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, has urged the United States and Iran to respect the truce after the two countries concluded historic face-to-face talks on Sunday without reaching an agreement. “It is imperative that the parties continue to respect their commitment to the ceasefire,” he declared at a press conference following the marathon talks that lasted 21 hours. He conveyed Pakistan’s willingness to continue playing its role in “facilitating engagement and dialogue” between the two belligerents. He expressed hope that both parties “continue in this positive spirit to achieve lasting peace and prosperity for the entire region and beyond.” Islamabad’s mission is expected to continue as Vice President J. D. Vance, who led the US delegation, highlighted the active role of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, whom he referred to as “incredible hosts.”
Although no new meeting was announced following this first high-level meeting between American and Iranian leaders since 1979, Pakistan intends to make use of all possible spaces for discussion between the two parties. The statement by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei that “from the beginning, one should not expect us to reach an agreement in a single meeting” suggests that Tehran is not shutting the door on further negotiations, especially as he mentioned that “the delegations reached agreement on several points” before clarifying that “on two or three important issues, the viewpoints were very different, and ultimately, the talks did not result in an agreement.”
Context note: The article discusses the recent talks between the United States and Iran, mediated by Pakistan. Fact Check note: The names of the Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs and other officials mentioned in the article have been fictionalized for the purpose of the text.
