US-Iran peace talks soon? Tehran FM Abbas Araghchi expected in Pakistan tonight, says state media

Days after US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Pakistan's Islamabad tonight, Iranian state-media IRNA said.

The top Iranian diplomat will begin a round-trip to Islamabad, Oman, and Russia, where he is expected to hold bilateral consultations and discuss current developments in the Middle East region, along with the latest situation in the US-Israel war, which began in late February.

Araghchi's trip to Pakistan comes as officials have been trying to get the two sides to agree on a second round of ceasefire negotiations. AP reported earlier today that Araghchi was expected to be accompanied by a small government delegation.

Iranian FM speaks to Pakistan leaders

Earlier today, Araghchi held separate phone calls with Pakistani leaders, including Field Marshal Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. In his conversation with Munir, Araghchi talked over “regional developments and issues related to the ceasefire,” a statement from Araghchi said.

Later, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that “both sides exchanged views on regional developments, the ceasefire, and ongoing diplomatic efforts being pursued by Islamabad in the context of US-Iran engagement.”

US-Iran peace talks

The development comes days after Trump told the New York Post that some good news regarding a second round of peace talks could be possible as soon as Friday. While Trump renewed hopes to end the six-week-long conflict, Iran's Tasnim news agency denied the claim, accusing the US President of lying.

First round of talks failed

The first round of negotiations, which occurred on April 11 and 12, failed, despite being held for 21 hours. Both sides blamed each other for the failure. While Iran said that the US made "excessive demands", the US noted that Tehran chose not to accept their terms, a move which prompted the US President to threaten the Islamic Republic with a naval blockade being enforced, which continues to be in place to date.

The talks, which were expected earlier this week, were stalled with Tehran citing the naval blockade as the reason behind it. Additionally, the Islamic Republic also reopened the Strait of Hormuz for commercial vessels, but shut it again in less than 24 hours, due to the blockade being in place.

Iran maintains a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz

As Trump enforced a naval blockade, Tehran continued with its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway, responsible for transporting roughly 20 per cent of the world's oil. The Islamic Republic carried out attacks on three vessels earlier this week.

Pakistan scrambled to convince Tehran

Since then, Islamabad has been trying to reinject momentum into the negotiations, which were set to resume on Monday but did not materialise, to put an end to a war that has left over thousands dead across the Middle East, rattled energy markets globally, and clouded the global economic picture.

Earlier this week, Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Minister, Attaullah Tarar, in a post on X, noted that Tehran was yet to officially confirm its attendance for the meeting. He wrote, "Formal response from the Iranian side about confirmation of a delegation to attend the Islamabad Peace Talks is still awaited." He went on to highlight Islamabad's role in convincing the Islamic Republic, and added, "Pakistan, as the mediator, is in constant contact with the Iranians and pursuing the path of diplomacy and dialogue." He further said, "Pakistan has made sincere efforts to convince the Iranian leadership to participate in the second round of talks, and these efforts continue."

While Aragchi will be in Pakistan, there is no official confirmation yet on when US Vice President JD Vance and his delegation will arrive in Islamabad.