Islamabad talks
The planned visit comes while US President Donald Trump said he had canceled a scheduled trip by his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Islamabad for talks with Iran.
He cited Iran’s position in ongoing peace negotiations, saying he sees “no point” in sending the delegation on a long flight under the current circumstances in the talks.
Trump said Washington is offering a “very fair and reasonable deal” as his representatives will be heading to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, tomorrow evening, for negotiations.
Ghalibaf said the negotiations had advanced but key gaps persist, noting that “several fundamental issues” remain unresolved.
The two sides, with mediation from Pakistan, Egypt and Türkiye, have been working to narrow remaining differences in an effort to reach a deal before a ceasefire expires on 21 April.
In a lengthy statement following marathon US-Iran talks in Islamabad that concluded early on Sunday without reaching a deal that shuts the door for good on their currently paused war.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation during the talks, said “substantive discussions” had taken place, but Iran ultimately chose “not to accept our terms.”
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said the latest round of trilateral talks started shortly before, bringing together representatives from Tehran and Washington alongside Pakistani intermediaries.
In a phone call with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed the importance of building on the ceasefire announcement between Washington and Tehran to reinforce de-escalation efforts.
“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others,” Trump wrote Saturday on his Truth Social.
Despite the pause in hostilities, deep mistrust and unresolved flashpoints continue to cast uncertainty over the negotiations.
The U.S. and Iran outline competing proposals as a fragile two-week ceasefire opens the door to high-stakes negotiations.
