Iran Says Talks With United States Continue Through Pakistan Mediation in Islamabad

Iran said talks with the United States continued through Pakistani mediation, with Anadolu Ajansı reporting that the exchange of messages was ongoing and that Pakistan was acting as mediator.

Al Jazeera reported that negotiations in Islamabad aimed at ending the war, with Pakistan acting as mediator, and it described face-to-face talks between J. D. Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf alongside Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Al Jazeera

Reuters, as cited by Al Jazeera, said the trilateral talks were held face-to-face between J. D. Vance, Steve Weitkoff and Jared Kushner on the American side and Asim Munir on the Pakistani side.

Al Jazeera also said an Iranian television correspondent reported that the United States had agreed to release frozen Iranian funds, while ISNA quoted Iran’s Supreme Council on Information secretary saying the Islamabad talks were held after verification of a halt to Israeli attacks on Beirut.

Masrawy reported that Trump praised Pakistan’s mediation in negotiations with Iran and rejected the idea of replacing Islamabad with another mediator, telling reporters: 'No, they’re excellent. Pakistanis are doing a great job.'

Masrawy said those remarks referred to Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had been performing mediation duties in negotiations in Islamabad between American and Iranian delegations.

Al Jazeera

The same Masrawy account said the Islamabad round of talks held on April 11 did not yield any tangible results, and it added that the two sides had not been able to agree on holding a new round yet.

CNN Arabic reported that a Pakistani source told CNN that Pakistan had been heavily involved in mediating to facilitate the talks, describing 'feverish diplomacy' during the negotiations between the United States and Iran on Saturday.

Al Jazeera said discussions on reopening the Strait of Hormuz remained a major point of disagreement, with Iran insisting on retaining control of the strait and imposing transit fees on ships, while Tasnim said American demands hindered progress toward a joint negotiating framework.

El Mundo reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned on Wednesday that the war 'will extend beyond the region' if the United States resumes hostilities, after Trump’s threats to strike again if no agreement is reached.

El Mundo also quoted the Revolutionary Guard statement carried by Tasnim News Agency, saying: 'If an aggression against Iran is repeated, the regional war that had been promised this time will extend beyond the region.'

El Mundo further reported that the Israeli army declared it was at 'maximum alert' after new exchanges of threats between the United States and Iran, citing AFP and quoting Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir saying, 'Currently, the Army is at maximum alert and prepared for any contingency,' according to a military statement.