White House says trilateral in-person talks with Iran, Pakistan 'ongoing'
Islamabad: The White House said high-level in-person trilateral talks with Iran and Pakistan were "ongoing" in Islamabad late on Saturday, with negotiations aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.
A senior White House official said in a brief statement that the talks were continuing, after Iranian state media earlier reported that two rounds had taken place and a third was expected.
Iran media says US making 'excessive demands' on Strait of Hormuz in Pakistan talks.
Talks between the delegations have unfolded in a “congenial atmosphere”, according to a report by Al Jazeera, which said participants also shared a dinner before moving into a stage of exchanging notes.
The outlet, citing Iranian sources, reported that delegate-level negotiations remain underway as both sides work to identify pathways for progress. Pakistan, the report added, is encouraging an extension of the dialogue, either for another day or an additional round, in hopes of securing a concrete outcome, though no final decision has been reached.
The trilateral direct negotiations were taking place with host Pakistan, a senior White House official said earlier Saturday, a departure from recent practice where both sides held talks via a mediator while seated in separate rooms.
The war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week.
The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks. The talks came after US and Iranian officials met separately with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf were discussing how to advance the ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Earlier, Trump confirmed in a phone interview with NewsNation that talks among the US, Iran and Pakistan had begun, though he does not know how successful they could be.
When asked how negotiations would go, Trump said: “I have no idea.”
The US president said he would know shortly if he felt Iran was acting in good faith about resolving the war.
Trump added that the US knew where mines had been placed in the Strait of Hormuz and that the military was bringing equipment to remove them.
Meanwhile, the US military on Saturday prepared for mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz as two Navy destroyers transited the waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, US Central Command said in a news release.
The destroyers are part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, CENTCOM stated.
Iran’s state media said earlier on Saturday that it had forced a US military ship that was attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz to turn around.
The strait has been effectively closed to most oil and gas freighters since the US and Israel began to strike Israel on Feb. 28. Cease-fire talks are now underway in Pakistan.
(With inputs from agencies)