US-Iran tensions: Pakistan to be a part of Turkey-led peace talks

Pakistan has been invited to participate in upcoming talks between Iran and the United States aimed at easing tensions between the two countries, slated to take place on Friday in Turkey.

“Pakistan has received the invitation for the upcoming talks between Iran and the United States,” Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said while responding to a query, reported Dawn.




Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar is expected to take part in the meeting, the daily reported citing a diplomatic source, adding that “Islamabad’s participation was seen as significant.”

An Arab official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the meeting is likely to be held in Turkiye on Friday. The format of the talks remains unclear, though the official said the main meeting would take place that day.

A regional official told Reuters that the priority of the talks was to avoid conflict and de-escalate tensions between Iran and the US, adding that several regional powers had been invited at the foreign ministers’ level.

According to the official, countries invited include Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Focus on nuclear issue

US outlet Axios, citing two sources and a US official, reported that Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff in Istanbul to discuss a possible agreement related to Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Tuesday that he had instructed Araghchi to pursue “fair and equitable negotiations” in an environment “free from threats and unreasonable expectations”.

The talks, he said in posts on X, would be held “within the framework of our national interests”.

Signals from Washington and Tehran

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

In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Araghchi said: “President Trump said no nuclear weapons, and we fully agree. We fully agree with that. That could be a very good deal.”

“In return, we expect sanctions to be lifted,” he added, while warning that Iran was prepared for war if talks failed, saying any conflict would likely spread beyond Iran.

Turkiye has been leading diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions, with Araghchi visiting Istanbul last week and engaging with regional counterparts, including in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have assured Tehran that they would not allow their airspace or territory to be used for military action against Iran, while Jordan has said it would not act as a “launching pad” for any such action.