ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he “might” go to Islamabad if a peace deal with Iran is signed there, saying that the next round of in-person discussions may take place over the weekend.
The development takes place a day after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Washington is discussing holding a second round of talks with Iran. Leavitt told the press that the second round of peace discussions was “very likely” to be held in Islamabad.
The White House press secretary also appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to mediate between the US and Iran, saying that Islamabad was the “only mediator” in the ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran.
“If the deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go,” Trump told reporters in Washington as he prepared to depart for Las Vegas, Nevada.
When asked by a reporter when he expected the next round of in-person talks with Iran to be held, the US president replied:
“Probably, maybe over the weekend.”
Trump heaped praise on Pakistani officials, saying that “Pakistan has been great” throughout the Iran war.
“The field marshal has been great, the prime minister has been really great in Pakistan,” he said. “So I might go. They want me to.”
Trump said the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was “incredible,” adding that Iran did not have a navy, an air force or anti-aircraft equipment with it.
However, he struck an optimistic tone about striking a peace deal with Iran.
“Everything is gone, including their leaders,” he said. “Now they have a new set of leaders and we find them very reasonable.”
DIPLOMATIC PUSH
The US president was speaking about Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who is currently in Tehran amid Islamabad’s efforts to broker peace between Iran and the US.
Sharif separately traveled to Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, in efforts to push for peace between Washington and Tehran. The Pakistani prime minister is currently in Türkiye to take part in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum with a high-level delegation, where he will hold talks with regional leaders on the evolving situation.
Islamabad’s diplomatic push comes after weeks of war in Iran before a temporary truce was announced and Pakistan hosted rare direct talks between US and Iranian officials in Islamabad on Apr. 11, positioning itself as a key intermediary between the two sides.
Washington and Tehran remained divided on key issues during the Apr. 11 talks. These issues included Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief and the future of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route that Tehran has blocked since Israel and the US went to war with it in late February.
