ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday emphasised the need for continued dialogue and engagement to resolve ongoing issues during a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
According to the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on X, Dar stressed the need for continued dialogue and engagement were essential for the timely resolution of current issues and for promoting peace and stability in the region and beyond.
“Both leaders agreed to remain in close contact and also concurred on a phone call between the president of Iran and the PM Shehbaz, later today,” read the statement.
The development came as US President Donald Trump signalled a new round of talks in Islamabad soon, saying that US representatives would travel to the capital for the second round of negotiations with Iran aimed at addressing the Middle East crisis.
“My representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — they will be there tomorrow evening, for negotiations,” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said earlier that talks with the US to end the war had made progress but remained far from an agreement, as Tehran said the crucial Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
In a televised address to the nation on Saturday night, Ghalibaf said the “third imposed war” began during negotiations through US deception, adding that previous conflicts had also started with the assassination of commanders, Tasnim News reported.
He said proposals relayed via countries, including Pakistan, were reviewed by Iran’s security council, and Tehran resisted pressure and warned against escalation. He added that after failing militarily, the US turned to indirect messaging, while Iran remained resolute post-ceasefire.
Tehran’s reversal of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz raised the risk that oil and gas shipments through the strait could remain disrupted just as Trump weighs whether to extend the ceasefire.
When American and Iranian negotiators met last weekend in Islamabad, the US proposed a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity, while Iran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said no date had been set for the next round of negotiations, adding that a framework of understanding must be agreed first.
Trump had said on Friday that there could be talks this weekend and that the two sides were “very close to making a deal.”
There were no signs on Saturday of preparations for new talks in the Pakistani capital, where the highest-level US-Iran negotiations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ended without agreement last weekend.
