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Pakistan is continuing efforts to bridge gaps between the United States and Iran despite the failure of planned, face-to-face diplomacy, Pakistani mediator sources told Reuters.
The development comes after U.S. President Donald Trump refused to send envoys to Islamabad, saying that Tehran should call "when it wants a deal."
Iranian sources said Tehran’s latest proposal would first seek to end the war and resolve the standoff over Gulf shipping, while leaving wider talks on Iran’s nuclear program for later. The proposal is unlikely to satisfy Washington, which says nuclear issues must be addressed from the start.
Hopes of reviving peace efforts weakened after Trump scrapped a planned visit by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi traveled in and out twice over the weekend.
Aragchi also visited Oman and arrived in Russia on Monday to meet President Vladimir Putin.
Trump said Iran “offered a lot, but not enough,” adding that there was no reason to meet unless Tehran agreed it could not have a nuclear weapon.
“If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us,” Trump told Fox News. “They know what has to be in the agreement. It’s very simple: They cannot have a nuclear weapon; otherwise, there’s no reason to meet.”
Senior Iranian sources said the proposal Aragchi brought to Islamabad envisioned negotiations in stages.
The first step would require ending the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and providing guarantees that Washington would not restart it. Negotiators would then address the U.S. blockade and the future of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran wants to reopen under its control.
Only after that would the talks move to other issues, including the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran is still seeking some form of U.S. acknowledgment of its right to enrich uranium for what it says are peaceful purposes.
Washington has demanded that Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and forgo further enrichment.
Islamabad reopened after being locked down for a week in expectation of talks that did not take place. A luxury hotel that had been cleared as a possible venue was again taking public reservations.
Pakistani officials said negotiations were still continuing remotely, but there were no plans for an in-person meeting until the sides were close enough to sign a memorandum.
“The draft will be negotiated remotely till they reach some consensus,” a Pakistani source familiar with the negotiations said.
The ceasefire has paused U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb. 28, but no agreement has been reached on the terms to end the war.
The conflict has killed thousands, raised oil prices, fueled inflation, and worsened the global growth outlook.
Iran has largely blocked all shipping except its own from passing through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began. The U.S. began blockading Iranian ships this month, which Iran says must stop as a condition for talks.
Brent crude rose about 2.5% to around $108 a barrel when trade reopened Monday, as the sides remained apart on Iran’s nuclear program and access through the Strait of Hormuz.
Fighting intensified in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes killed 14 people and wounded 37 in the south on Sunday, according to the country's Health Ministry. It was the deadliest day since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was agreed in mid-April.
Iran says it will not hold talks on the wider conflict unless a ceasefire also holds in Lebanon.
Israel invaded Lebanon in March in pursuit of Iran-backed Hezbollah, which fired across the border in support of Tehran. Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of violating the truce, which was agreed between Israel and the Lebanese government in Washington and extended last week.
Israeli forces ordered hundreds of thousands of people out of their villages and have been bulldozing homes where they say Hezbollah fighters operated.
The military warned residents Sunday to leave seven more towns beyond the occupied buffer zone.
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