US and Iranian teams are likely to hold a second round of talks involving their technical-level teams in Pakistan’s capital as early as Monday, sources told Anadolu on Saturday.
Sources said that the technical-level teams of both sides are expected to meet in Islamabad for the next round of talks “most probably on Monday” to finalize a negotiated settlement of the weeks-long conflict between the US and Iran that has crippled global energy supplies and daily life in the wider Middle East.
“Once they reach a draft, President (Donald) Trump, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and some other important heads of states will air dash to the capital (Islamabad) to sign the deal,” a source said, referring to multiple reports that alongside Trump and Pezeshkian, leaders of several other regional countries are also expected to attend the signing ceremony.
Negotiators from the two warring sides are continuing to exchange messages through Islamabad since the conclusion of the first round of the talks on April 11-12 in Islamabad to reach a “maximum understanding” before the beginning of the next phase of the much-awaited parleys, sources added.
Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir held in-person talks with Iranian civil and military leadership this week in Tehran, during which Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open for commercial ships.
Trump said Thursday that if an agreement is reached with Iran, he may go to Islamabad for the signing of the deal.
“I would go to Pakistan, yeah. Pakistan has been great …” he told reporters. “If the deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go.”
A Pakistani government official told Anadolu that logistical arrangements have already been launched for the arrival of US and Iranian delegations, as well as media personnel covering the event.
On Friday, US media reported that talks are expected to take place on Monday in Islamabad.
There has no official announcement from any of the sides about the timeframe for the next round of talks.
Iranian sources familiar with the negotiations said negotiators from both sides are expected to arrive in Islamabad on Sunday, according to CNN.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” for all commercial vessels. The decision was made “in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon,” he said on the US social media platform X.
A previous round of discussions between the US and Iran held last weekend ended without an agreement, despite 16 hours of negotiations, which were held after Pakistan secured a two-week ceasefire on April 8.
With Islamabad positioning itself as a key diplomatic hub, all eyes are now on whether the anticipated second round of US-Iran talks materializes before the April 21 target date.
