Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has outlined Tehran’s demands and expressed concerns about US positions as Islamabad hosted a renewed effort to bring an end to a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and disrupted global markets.
While specific details of the discussions remain limited, Mr Araqchi held meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials, reports RTE.
The White House had earlier stated that President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner would travel to Pakistan’s capital today, though Iran has so far rejected the prospect of another round of direct negotiations.
Washington and Tehran remain deadlocked, with Iran largely shutting the Strait of Hormuz—through which around one-fifth of global oil supplies typically pass—while the US continues to block Iranian oil exports, reports RTE.
The conflict has driven energy prices to levels not seen in years, fuelling inflation and casting a shadow over global economic growth.
Mr Araqchi “explained our country’s principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran”, said a statement on the minister’s official Telegram account, reports RTE.
Asked about Tehran’s reservations about US positions in the talks, an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told Reuters: “Principally, Iranian side will not accept maximalist demands.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had earlier told reporters that Iran had a chance to make a “good deal”, reports RTE.
“Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely,” he said. “All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways,” reports RTE.
Earlier, Iran’s defence ministry said the US was seeking a “face-saving” exit from the conflict.
“Our military power today is a dominant force, and the enemy is looking for a face-saving way to escape the war quagmire it has become trapped in,” media outlet ISNA quoted a ministry spokesperson as saying, reports RTE.
This comes as envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travel to Islamabad, although Iranian state media has indicated that direct talks are unlikely.
Iran’s foreign minister has arrived in Pakistan while US representatives head to Islamabad in an effort to revive peace negotiations amid a fragile ceasefire, reports RTE.
The White House said Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner would hold an “in-person conversation” with Iranian officials, but Iranian state media maintained that direct negotiations were not expected.
Despite US President Donald Trump announcing a three-week extension of the ceasefire in Lebanon on Thursday, Israeli strikes in the south of the country killed six people yesterday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, reports RTE.
While Mr Trump voiced optimism about achieving lasting peace in Lebanon, reaching a broader agreement to end the Middle East conflict remains complex, even as pressure grows to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner would travel to Pakistan today “to engage in talks with representatives from the Iranian delegation”, reports RTE.
“The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation,” Ms Leavitt said, adding that the talks would “hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal,” reports RTE.
Ms Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance, who led earlier negotiations in Islamabad two weeks ago that ended without agreement, would not attend for now but remained on standby to travel if needed.
It was still unclear late last night whether Iranian officials would meet directly with the US envoys, reports RTE.
Iranian state television reported that Mr Araqchi has no plans to meet US representatives and that Pakistan would act as an intermediary to convey Iran’s proposals for ending the conflict.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed Mr Araqchi’s arrival in Islamabad for talks on “ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability” with Pakistani officials, without directly mentioning discussions with Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner, reports RTE.
An Iranian spokesperson said Mr Araqchi is expected to travel to Oman and Russia after his visit to Pakistan to continue discussions on ending the war initiated against Iran by Israel and the United States on 28 February.
Since the last round of talks, attempts to bring both sides back to negotiations have stalled, with Iran refusing to engage while a US naval blockade on its ports remains in place, reports RTE.
Iran has effectively imposed its own blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, allowing only limited shipping through the strategic waterway, causing disruption to global energy markets.
Oil prices declined yesterday amid hopes that renewed peace talks could end Iran’s interference with trade through the strait, reports RTE.
European Council President Antonio Costa said the waterway “must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling.”
“This is vital for the entire world,” Mr Costa added, reports RTE.
Major Wall Street indices reached new record highs yesterday as investors responded positively to corporate earnings reports and the prospect of renewed US-Iran talks in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the United States has continued to strengthen its military presence in the Middle East, including the deployment of a third aircraft carrier, the USS George HW Bush, reports RTE.
Mr Trump spoke positively on Thursday about the chances for peace in Lebanon after meeting Israeli and Lebanese representatives, expressing hope for a three-way meeting involving both sides.
The two nations have officially been at war for decades and had not engaged so directly since 1993 until last week, reports RTE.
Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, urged Lebanon’s government to withdraw from direct negotiations with Israel and warned that any long-term peace agreement of the type proposed by Mr Trump “will in no way enjoy Lebanese national consensus.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has pledged to dismantle the Iran-backed group, said, “We have started a process to reach a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it’s clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this,” reports RTE.
In Tyre in southern Lebanon, Mohamad Ali Hijazi searched through rubble for belongings of family members killed in an Israeli airstrike shortly before the ceasefire began.
“I’m trying to find my mother’s hairbrush and a bottle of perfume that she loves,” said Mr Hijazi, 48 – some of the last gifts he had sent her from France, where he lives with his wife and daughters, reports RTE.
“My life has been destroyed. I haven’t slept for five days,” he told AFP, repeatedly struggling to hold back tears, reports RTE.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey could consider participating in demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz following any peace agreement between Iran and the United States.
Mr Fidan, speaking in London yesterday evening, said a technical team would likely carry out mine-clearing operations in the strait after any agreement, adding that Turkey views such efforts positively as a humanitarian responsibility, reports RTE.
However, he warned that Turkey would reassess its involvement if any future international coalition became part of renewed conflict.
Mr Fidan also said he believed issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme could be resolved in the next round of talks in Pakistan, reports RTE.
Four people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, according to the country’s state news agency, a day after six fatalities were reported in the highest toll since the ceasefire extension.
The Israeli military said it targeted rocket launchers belonging to Hezbollah in three locations in southern Lebanon overnight, reports RTE.
“These launchers posed an immediate threat to IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers and to Israeli civilians,” it said in a statement, reports RTE.
It identified the locations as Deir El Zahrani, Reman, and Al-Saamiya in southern Lebanon, all situated north of the designated buffer zone.
It was not immediately clear whether the reported deaths were connected to those strikes, reports RTE.
The Israeli military reiterated its warning for Lebanese residents to avoid the Litani River area in southern Lebanon during ongoing operations against Hezbollah.
It also said it had intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” within the operational zone of Israeli forces, reports RTE.
A Hezbollah official said yesterday that a US-brokered ceasefire with Israel was meaningless, a day after it had been extended for three weeks. The truce had been due to expire tomorrow.
While the ceasefire has significantly reduced hostilities, Israel and Hezbollah have continued exchanging fire in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces remain stationed in a self-declared buffer zone, reports RTE.
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