The Pakistan brokered and mediated peace talks between Iran and the US took place on April11-12 and ended in a stalemate after almost twenty hours of non-stop discussions between the two delegations. This was the very first time that any direct interaction took place between the two sides since the 1979 revolution and thee Iranian capture of the American embassy in Tehran with over seventy hostages. During this meeting nobody expected a major breakthrough because of the complicated and thorny issues involved. During the Obama regime it took over two years of negotiations to hammer out a nuclear deal between Iran and the West. Both the president and the vice president of the USA were profuse in thanking Pakistan for their hospitality and their efforts in mediating between the two warring parties. JD Vance stated categorically that the USA had clearly defined its red lines that Iran should give a solemn pledge that they will not pursue their nuclear program to acquire nuclear weapons He also mentioned discussions on the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian frozen assets, US sanctions on Iran and economic relief to Iran and he concluded by saying that the USA was leaving a final and best offer so the ball is in the court of Iran.
It is now almost certain that the next round of talks or Islamabad talks-2 will be hosted by Pakistan and prior to that the top civil and military leadership of Pakistan is engaged in some very hectic diplomacy to prepare for the forthcoming talks expected to take place by the end of April. The international community is holding its breath watching anxiously and hoping for a break through and an accord for permanent peace between ran and the USA and the fear of a global melt down finally being lifted. Shehbaz Sharif visited Qatar after a dash to Saudi Arabia and long discussions with Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and then proceeded to Turkiye. The Army chief and Chief of defense services led a delegation to Tehran for discussions with the Iranian leaders. The US Govt. is well within the loop as Pakistan has been constantly relaying messages between Tehran and Washington DC. And kept the other Arab countries fully informed about its efforts for the restart of the Iran Us talks in Islamabad.
The US President has announced that the next round of talks is about to take place but no firm date has yet been announced. The UN, the USA and Iran have all praised the Pakistani initiative as mediators and the White House pess secretary even called Pakistan “incredible mediators” The Iranians have faith and full trust in Pakistan and the US President has repeatedly voiced his deep appreciation for the Prime Minister and the army chief of Pakistan. The Gulf Muslim nations including Saudi Arabia who are so close to the Iran war have a long and historical relations with Pakistan and they are confident that Pakistan will keep their interests in mind while mediating between Iran and the USA. While all this is going on there remains a wide gulf of mistrust between the two warring parties with Israel waiting in the wings to play the role of a spoiler at every possible opportunity.
The results of the second round of talks will depend on the attitude of the negotiators from Tehran and Washington onus being on the US because the war was ignited from Washington with the help and active assistance of Israel. Just before the start of the second round of talks in Islamabad Donald Trump is now well aware that the war has been lost and American influence and prestige has suffered a devastating blow. President Trump also stated that after the talks the Strait of Hormuz will be permanently opened to shipping because China has agreed not to supply weapons to Iran. Ironically the Strait of Hormuz was open to the world it was the Israeli-US onslaught on Iran that caused its closure. The US appealed to the European countries for help but no one responded and the USA was completely isolated.
Pakistan foreign office confirmed that the USA and Iran were in discussions through Islamabad to hold a second meeting between their negotiators to end their nearly two months long war with a fragile ceasefire announced on 8th of April that is now drawing near its expiry date.
The foreign office spokesman went on to add that no date has yet been set for the next round of negotiations, even as Pakistan stepped up a fierce diplomatic push to keep the process alive. “Who will come, how big the delegation will be, who will stay, and who will go is for the parties to decide,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad, referring to what upcoming talks might look like. “As a mediator, it’s important for us to keep the talks confidential. We had the details and information of the talks entrusted to us by the negotiating parties.” Speaking of the first round of talks on April 12 in Islamabad, which concluded without a deal, Andrabi said: “There was neither a breakthrough nor a breakdown.”
The spokesperson confirmed that nuclear issues remained among the key subjects under discussion, but declined to elaborate.His comments came as Pakistan’s civil and military leadership is travelling across the region in what some observers have begun calling the “Islamabad Process”, reflecting the government’s attempt to frame negotiations as an ongoing diplomatic effort rather than a one-off engagement.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
