Pakistan attempted to convince Iran to drop its preconditions for peace talks with the United States, The New Arab reported on Sunday.
According to an anonymous source, Pakistani officials urged the Iranian delegation to enter the ongoing talks in Islamabad "with a new spirit," and the delegation had shown "positive signals."
The New Arab also reported, however, that the Iranian delegation insisted that the US first announce a full implementation of the ceasefire before beginning formal negotiations.
Pakistani PM meets with US, Iranian representatives
Before the talks began, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with members of the US delegation, including US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House and Sharif's office said.
Earlier, the Iranian delegation, led by Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, also met with Sharif to determine the timing and manner of possible negotiations, according to local media.
Araghchi spoke with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on the phone prior to the talks, according to the Iranian government-sponsored outlet Mehr News Agency, telling Wadephul that Iran is entering the talks with “complete distrust” of the US.
Reuters and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.