Deputy PM Ishaq Dar likely to represent Islamabad at de-escalation talks between Tehran and Washington, say sources
\n islamabad
\nPakistan has been invited to take part in Iran-US talks focused on easing tensions between Tehran and Washington, the Foreign Office said on Tuesday.
\nForeign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andarabi, while speaking to Geo News, confirmed Pakistan\u2019s invitation to the negotiations, which are scheduled to take place in Istanbul later this week.
\nAccording to diplomatic sources, the Iran-US talks are being held as part of backchannel diplomatic efforts involving multiple regional stakeholders.
\nPakistan and Turkiye are said to have played a role in facilitating these behind-the-scenes engagements that helped pave the way for the dialogue, the sources said.
\nDeputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is likely to represent Pakistan at de-escalation talks between Tehran and Washington, they said.
\nAccording to a Reuters report, some of the other countries invited to the talks at the foreign ministers\u2019 level included Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
\nThe person said the format of the meetings remained unclear, but that the \u201cmain meeting\u201d would take place on Friday and that it was important to start dialogue between the parties to avoid further escalation.
\nIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, after his counterpart Donald Trump threatened \u201cbad things\u201d if no deal was reached.
\n\u201cIn light of requests from friendly governments in the region to respond to the proposal by the President of the United States for negotiations….. I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists \u2014 one free from threats and unreasonable expectations \u2014 to pursue fair and equitable negotiations,\u201d Pezeshkian said in a post on X.
\nThe talks will be held \u201cwithin the framework of our national interests\u201d, he said.
\nWashington dispatched an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following anti-government protests in Iran that peaked last month.
\nUS President Trump has said he remains hopeful that Washington will \u201cwork something out\u201d with Iran, but warned on Monday that \u201cbad things would happen\u201d if no deal is reached.
\nTehran has insisted it wants diplomacy while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression.
\nIt has repeatedly stressed that talks should remain focused solely on the nuclear issue, rejecting negotiations over its missile programme or defence capabilities.
\nIn an interview with CNN broadcast on Monday, Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a nuclear deal with the US was achievable.
\n\u201cSo I see the possibility of another talk if the US negotiation team follows what President Trump said: to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure that there is no nuclear weapon,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cSo if that is the case, I am confident that we can achieve a deal,\u201d he added.
\nIran\u2019s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has warned of a \u201cregional war\u201d if the US attacked his country.
\nThe priority of talks between the US and Iran this week in Istanbul is to avoid any conflict and de-escalate tensions between the two sides, a regional official told Reuters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Deputy PM Ishaq Dar likely to represent Islamabad at de-escalation talks between Tehran and Washington, say sources islamabad Pakistan has been invited to take part in Iran-US talks focused on easing tensions between Tehran and Washington, the Foreign Office said on Tuesday. Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andarabi, while speaking to Geo News, confirmed Pakistan\u2019s invitation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351832,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-529294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n