ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has received an invitation to join talks between the United States and Iran expected to take place in Türkiye this week to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program, the foreign office said on Tuesday, as regional states push to revive diplomacy amid heightened tensions.

The planned meeting in Istanbul on Friday follows months of escalating rhetoric between Washington and Tehran, with US President Donald Trump warning of consequences if negotiations fail and Iran insisting its defensive capabilities are not negotiable.

Regional powers have urged restraint, warning the Middle East cannot afford another conflict.

“Yes, we have received the invitation for talks in Istanbul,” foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told Arab News.

According to a senior Pakistani official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is expected to attend the talks on Pakistan’s behalf, though no formal announcement has yet been made.

Iranian and US officials have said the talks will focus on Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran maintains is for peaceful purposes.

Iranian officials have also expressed concern that Washington may seek to expand the scope of negotiations to include Iran’s ballistic missile program, which Tehran considers a core element of its defense and which was used during last year’s 12-day Iran-Israel war.

Trump has said the United States is seeking nuclear concessions from Iran and has warned that “bad things” could happen if no agreement is reached, while stopping short of spelling out potential military action.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said this week he had instructed the foreign minister to pursue “fair and equitable negotiations,” provided the talks take place in an environment free of threats.

International media have reported that foreign ministers or senior representatives from several regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, have also been invited to participate in the Istanbul talks, alongside Pakistan.