Pakistan proposes new US–Iran talks as Vance, Trump signal progress

Pakistani officials said on Tuesday that Islamabad has proposed a second round of talks between the United States and Iran, even as senior US leaders signalled cautious optimism following the latest negotiations.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media, said the proposal was shared with both Washington and Tehran after the first round of discussions concluded.

"Efforts are underway to bring both parties back to the table, of course we want them back in Islamabad, but the venue is not final yet," said the source.

Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance said negotiations had “made some progress”, while Donald Trump indicated that the Iranian side had shown willingness to pursue a deal.

Meanwhile, Pakistan signalled its readiness to continue acting as a diplomatic bridge between the two sides.

“Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagements and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come,” said Ishaq Dar after the talks concluded.

The negotiations marked the highest-level direct engagement between Washington and Tehran since the Iranian Revolution, though differences over Iran’s nuclear programme prevented a breakthrough.

Speaking after the talks in Islamabad, Vance stressed that Washington’s core demand remains clear: Iran must commit not to pursue nuclear weapons.

“The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Vance added that Washington had presented what he described as its “final and best offer”, while leaving a narrow opening for further negotiations.

“We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it,” he said. 

Pakistani and Iranian sources said the Iranian delegation also held separate meetings with senior Pakistani officials before departing for Tehran, although details of those discussions have not been made public.

Officials in Islamabad described the talks as “an important opening step in a continuing diplomatic process”, noting that disputes of such complexity cannot be resolved in a single meeting.

Despite diplomatic efforts, tensions in the region remain elevated. A fragile two-week truce agreed last week to allow time for negotiations remains in place. Meanwhile, a US naval blockade around Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz has continued, after Tehran effectively closed the strategic waterway earlier.

The standoff at the strait has not rattled markets so far, with Asian equities rising while oil prices continued to slide.

With inputs from AFP, AP