The Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, has called on the United States and Iran to respect the ceasefire after the two countries ended historic face-to-face talks on Sunday without reaching an agreement. “It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to the ceasefire,” he said at a press conference following the 21-hour marathon talks. He expressed Pakistan’s willingness to continue playing its role in “facilitating engagement and dialogue” between the two belligerents. He expressed hope that both parties will “continue in this positive spirit to achieve lasting peace and prosperity for the entire region.” Islamabad’s mission is expected to continue as Vice President J.D. Vance, who led the U.S. delegation, emphasized the active role of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, whom he described as “incredible heads.”
Although no new meeting was announced at the end of this first high-level meeting between American and Iranian leaders since 1979, Pakistan intends to take advantage of all possible discussion spaces between the two parties. The statement by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei that “from the start, one should not expect us to reach an agreement in a single meeting” suggests that Tehran is not closing the door to further negotiations, especially since he added that “delegations had reached an agreement on several points” before specifying that “on two or three important issues, the views were very divergent and, in the end, the talks did not result in an agreement.”
Context: The article discusses the recent face-to-face talks between the United States and Iran, mediated by Pakistan. The talks ended without an agreement, but Pakistan is hopeful for continued dialogue.
Fact Check: The article correctly summarizes the statements and positions of the Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Iranian spokesperson about the talks.
