Pakistan invited to participate in talks between US and Iran: FO confirms

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) confirmed on Tuesday that Pakistan has been invited to participate in high-level talks between the United States and Iran, ARY News reported.

Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi stated that the negotiations, scheduled to take place in Istanbul, aim to de-escalate regional tensions.

The FO highlighted that persistent “back-door” diplomatic efforts helped facilitate the dialogue between Washington and Tehran.

According to sources, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the negotiations.

Both Pakistan and Turkey have been actively involved in behind-the-scenes diplomacy to bring the two nations to the table.

Besides Pakistan Saudi Arabia and Qatar will also participate in the Istanbul talks. Whereas Egypt, Oman and United Arab Emirates (UAE) have also been invited in the talks.

The talks between the US and Iran were suspended after the fifth round.

The format of the meetings remained unclear, but that the “main meeting” would take place on Friday and that it was important to start dialogue between the parties to avoid further escalation.

Iranian 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 “bad things” if no deal was reached.

“In 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 — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations — to pursue fair and equitable negotiations,” Pezeshkian said in a post on X.

The talks will be held “within the framework of our national interests”, he said.

Washington dispatched an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following anti-government protests in Iran that peaked last month.

US President Trump has said he remains hopeful that Washington will “work something out” with Iran, but warned on Monday that “bad things would happen” if no deal is reached.

Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression.

It has repeatedly stressed that talks should remain focused solely on the nuclear issue, rejecting negotiations over its missile programme or defence capabilities.

In an interview with CNN broadcast on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a nuclear deal with the US was achievable.

“So 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,” he said.

“So if that is the case, I am confident that we can achieve a deal,” he added.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has warned of a “regional war” if the US attacked his country.

The 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.