iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reached Islamabad on Friday with a senior delegation. This visit is being seen as an attempt to restart the stalled talks between Iran and America, in which Pakistan is playing an important mediator role. According to officials, Araghchi will meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir during his visit.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar shared pictures of Araghchi’s arrival on his X (Twitter) account. In these pictures, he is seen welcoming the Iranian delegation, along with whom Field Marshal Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi were also present.
Has Iran refused to talk to America?
Ismail Bakai, spokesperson of Iran’s Foreign Ministry and head of the Center for Public Diplomacy, informed on X that the Iranian delegation has reached Islamabad on an official visit. He said that Foreign Minister Araghchi will meet senior officials of Pakistan. This meeting is part of Pakistan’s efforts to restore peace in the region by ending the “aggressive war imposed by America” according to Iran.
Bakai made it clear that there will be no direct meeting between Iran and America. Tehran will convey its concerns and views to Washington through Pakistan. Pakistani officials say that efforts are on to hold a second round of talks. Islamabad has been trying behind the scenes to bring the two countries back to the negotiating table and its mediation has gained momentum in recent weeks.
Is America’s delegation also reaching Islamabad?
America is also preparing diplomatic initiatives. US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to visit Islamabad. White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt confirmed this. He said that talks will be held directly, but with the help of Pakistan. He also said that Vice President JD Vance will remain connected to Washington and will coordinate with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the national security team.
Will Iran make an offer?
US President Donald Trump said that Iran is preparing a proposal to meet America’s conditions. “They are making a proposal, we will have to see,” he told Reuters in a phone conversation. Trump reiterated that any deal would require Iran to give up its uranium and ensure free movement of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
He expressed concern about the leadership of Iran and said that there are internal differences there. However, he did not tell with whom America was talking. Trump also said that until an agreement is reached, the US military will continue the blockade of Iranian ports. He will decide to lift the blockade after seeing Iran’s proposal.
What’s going on on Hormuz?
Talks had earlier also stalled due to tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has linked future talks to the situation in the region. Trump said he wanted a “permanent” deal with Iran and described the US as being in a strong position in the conflict.
America has not yet been able to completely open this strait, where for the last eight weeks, Iran has stopped the movement of almost all ships except its own ships. This week Iran has also seized two big cargo ships. At the same time, Trump had imposed a separate blockade on Iranian shipping last week, which Iran has set a condition for removing.
How much impact on shipping?
The impact of this conflict is clearly visible on maritime trade. Earlier about 130 ships used to pass through this route every day, now only 5 ships have passed through this route in the last 24 hours. These included an Iranian oil tanker, but did not see the large crude supertankers that typically supply the global market.
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