ISLAMABAD: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday after meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other top officials, without holding direct talks with US envoys expected to arrive in the capital, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The development came amid Islamabad’s renewed push to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran following the extension of a fragile ceasefire earlier this month.
Araghchi, who arrived in Islamabad late Friday, held talks with Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir earlier in the day, according to Iranian state media, as Pakistan stepped up efforts to bring US and Iranian officials back to the table.
The White House had announced a day earlier that President Donald Trump’s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner would travel to Pakistan for talks, but Iran has said its delegation would not hold a direct meeting with US representatives and would instead convey its position through Islamabad.
“Had a most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation,” he added. “We also discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of Pakistan–Iran bilateral relations.”
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said in a separate post the meeting lasted for about two hours in which Sharif “emphasized ... the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for the peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
While details of the talks were scant, Reuters quoted Araghchi as saying that he highlighted his country’s “principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran” during his visit to Pakistan.
An Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad also told the news agency that Tehran would not accept Washington’s “maximalist demands” when asked about its reservations regarding US positions in the talks.
Meanwhile, Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency said Araghchi appreciated Pakistan’s “valuable efforts” to establish a ceasefire and end the war.
Iranian sources told Arab News on condition of anonymity that Araghchi's delegation has left Pakistan.
Pakistan has been trying to get US and Iranian officials back to negotiations after Trump announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran at Islamabad’s request.
Tensions, however, remain high in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which around one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas is shipped during peacetime.
Iran has tightened its control over traffic through the strait, while the US has maintained pressure on Iranian exports, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire and the uncertainty surrounding diplomatic efforts.
With input from Reuters.
