Kamal Ghorui
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said American officials will not travel for truce talks with Iran, taking a hard line on future engagement and insisting discussions will be held remotely.“If they wanna talk, they can come to us or they can call us. We are not sending people to travel 18 hours to meet,” Trump told Fox News.He added that Pakistan would remain involved in the process, but talks would continue by phone: “They’ll stay involved- but we’re gonna do it by telephone.”Reiterating Washington’s position on Iran’s nuclear programme, Trump said, “They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise there’s no reason to meet.”
Araghchi returns to Islamabad
Amid the uncertainty over direct talks, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Islamabad on Sunday, continuing a series of high-level visits aimed at keeping diplomatic channels open.Araghchi had travelled to Muscat on Saturday after leaving Pakistan and is expected to head to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. His stop in Islamabad is being described as a brief transit visit, with arrival reported at Nur Khan Airbase, according to CNN.Part of his delegation, which had earlier returned to Iran for consultations, is also expected to rejoin him in Islamabad, Al Jazeera reported.
Messages relayed via Pakistan
Iranian state media say Araghchi has conveyed Tehran’s position to Washington through Pakistani intermediaries. “These messages concern some of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s red lines including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz,” Fars News Agency reported.“Informed sources emphasize Mr Araghchi is acting entirely within the framework of the specified red lines and the diplomatic duties of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” it said.The report added that the messages are “unrelated to negotiations” and are “considered an initiative by Iran to clarify the regional situation”.According to Geo News, Araghchi’s return is part of efforts to sustain US-Iran peace talks despite Washington cancelling a planned visit by its representatives to Islamabad.However, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said the foreign minister’s visit “has nothing to do with nuclear talks”, adding he is in Islamabad to “continue his recent consultations”.Araghchi had earlier said Iran shared a “workable framework” with Pakistani leaders aimed at permanently ending the conflict, while questioning whether the US is genuinely committed to diplomacy.Earlier, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would not negotiate under coercion. During a phone call with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pezeshkian criticised continued US violations and pressure during both negotiations and the ceasefire period.
