ISLAMABAD, Apr 20: Pakistan moved ahead Monday with preparations for a new round of talks between the United States and Iran two days before a tenuous ceasefire is set to expire, even as renewed conflict around the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about whether the meeting would take place or not.
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Over the weekend, the US attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that it said had tried to evade its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, and its Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi told his Pakistani counterpart that American threats to Iranian ships and ports were “clear signs” of Washington’s disingenuousness ahead of the planned talks, Iran’s state media reported.
With tensions flaring and the ceasefire due to expire midweek, Pakistan has intensified diplomatic contacts with both Washington and Tehran over the past 24 hours, with the goal of resuming the talks on Tuesday as planned, according to two Pakistani officials involved in the preparations. Two additional Pakistani officials said Iran has expressed a willingness to send a delegation to Islamabad. They all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.
US President Donald Trump has said American negotiators would head towards Pakistan capital on Monday, but it was not immediately clear whether those plans would now change.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran on Monday that there were no plans yet to attend the talks with the US But at the same time, he did not rule it out.
“We have no plans for the next round of negotiations and no decision has been made in this regard,” Baghaei said.
Iran on Saturday said it had received new proposals from the United States but suggested a wide gap remained between the sides. It was unclear whether either side had shifted stances on issues that derailed the last round of negotiations, including Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, its regional proxies and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran throttled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the open seas, shortly after the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to start the war. The US has also instituted a blockade of Iranian ports.
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil trade normally passes through the strait, along with critical supplies of fertiliser for the world’s farmers, natural gas and humanitarian supplies for places in dire need like Afghanistan and Sudan. (AP)
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