ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been invited to participate in the upcoming talks between Iran and the United States aimed at easing regional tensions, the Foreign Office spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi told the media on Tuesday that Pakistan had received a formal invitation to attend the dialogue.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is likely to participate in the meeting in Turkiye, Diplomatic sources said, as cited by Dawn.
The report noted that Pakistan’s role is considered important as Islamabad has been discreetly working to help facilitate dialogue between the two sides.
Iran and the United States will resume nuclear talks on Friday in Turkiye, Iranian and US officials confirmed, as regional powers intensify efforts to de-escalate mounting tensions and prevent a broader conflict.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi are scheduled to meet in Istanbul in an attempt to revive diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear programme, a dispute that has persisted for years and fuelled fears of a new regional war, according to AFP.
A regional diplomat said representatives from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, along with other countries, are expected to participate in parallel bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral meetings.
“Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt, as well as some other countries, will attend the Istanbul meeting. There will be bilateral, trilateral, and other meetings,” the diplomat said, underscoring the breadth of regional involvement.
Earlier on Monday, Iranian news agency Fars reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian had ordered the initiation of nuclear negotiations with Washington.
“President Pezeshkian has ordered the initiation of nuclear negotiations with the United States,” Fars said, citing an unnamed government source, adding that the talks would be held “strictly within the framework of the nuclear issue”.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have already assured Iran that they would not allow their soil to be used for any kind of military action against Iran.
