Pakistan to continue facilitating US-Iran talks, says Ishaq Dar; urges ceasefire

Islamabad: Pakistan on Sunday said it will continue to facilitate talks between the US and Iran, while urging both sides to uphold the ceasefire.

In a brief statement to the media after marathon negotiations between the US and Iran ended without a breakthrough, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan has helped mediate several rounds of “intense and constructive” discussions over the past 24 hours.

“I, along with the Defence Forces Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Sim Munir, helped mediate several rounds of intense and constructive negotiations between the two sides that continued through the last 24 hours and ended this morning,” he said.

Expressing hope for progress, Dar said both sides should maintain a positive spirit to achieve durable peace and regional stability.

"It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to the ceasefire,” he said.

Dar said Pakistan would continue to play its role in facilitating engagement and dialogue between Iran and the United States in the coming days.

“Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagements and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the US in the days to come,” he said.

Dar also expressed gratitude to both sides for accepting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s proposal for a ceasefire and acknowledging Pakistan’s mediatory role.

The Pakistan-brokered talks -- the first direct, high-level engagement between the two sides since the 1979 Islamic Revolution -- were watched globally amid increasing expectations of a breakthrough.

The Iranian delegation, led by Speaker Mohammad Baqir Galibaf, had arrived in Islamabad on Friday night, while the US delegation, headed by Vice President JD Vance, arrived on Saturday morning.

The US side also includes President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, while Iran is also represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior leaders.

The two sides travelled to Islamabad on Saturday for the talks, four days after Iran and the US announced a two-week ceasefire.