Pakistan urges US and Iran to respect their commitment to ceasefire

Highly publicized talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad aimed at ending a broader war in the Middle East have “ended,” Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday, urging both parties to uphold their “commitment” to a two-week ceasefire.

Speaking at a brief press conference in Islamabad, Dar expressed hope that both sides will continue their efforts “in a positive spirit” to achieve “lasting peace and prosperity throughout the region and beyond.”

Emphasizing the need for the “parties to continue to respect their commitment to the ceasefire,” he thanked the two delegations for “appreciating Pakistan’s efforts to contribute to securing a ceasefire and its role as a mediator.”

Pakistan, he affirmed, has played and will continue to play its role in facilitating engagement and dialogue between Iran and the United States “in the days to come.”

“Myself, along with the chief of defense forces and army chief, Marshal Syed Asim Munir, have contributed to mediating several rounds of intense and constructive negotiations between the two parties, which have continued over the past 24 hours and concluded this morning,” he added.

Dar’s remarks came after US Vice President J.D. Vance left Pakistan on Sunday, stating that the talks had not resulted in an agreement.

Vance departed about an hour after addressing the press at the site of the trilateral talks in Islamabad, held under Pakistan’s mediation, and which concluded nearly 21 hours after their launch on Saturday.

The American and Iranian delegations, led by Vance and Parliament President Bagher Ghalibaf, respectively, participated in these discussions.

Pakistan hosted these talks amidst a fragile two-week ceasefire agreed earlier this week.

* Translated from English by Mariem Njeh