Summary of this article
Ishaq Dar said Pakistan will keep facilitating dialogue, urging both sides to uphold the ceasefire despite the collapse of Islamabad talks.
The high-level negotiations — the first direct engagement since the 1979 Islamic Revolution — ended without agreement after “intense and constructive” discussions.
Pakistan will continue to facilitate Iran-US peace talks, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday, while urging both sides to uphold the ongoing ceasefire.
His comments came after marathon negotiations between Iran and the US in Islamabad ended without an agreement.
In a brief statement to the media, Dar said Pakistan had 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, who is also the foreign minister, 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.
He also thanked 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 closely watched globally amid expectations of a breakthrough.
The Iranian delegation, led by Speaker Mohammad Baqir Ghalibaf, arrived in Islamabad on Friday night, while the US delegation, headed by Vice President JD Vance, arrived on Saturday morning.
The US side also included President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, while Iran was represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior leaders.
The two sides travelled to Islamabad on Saturday for the talks, four days after announcing a two-week ceasefire.
The conflict began after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, paralysing global energy markets and disrupting trade.
Iran had put forward a 10-point plan for the talks, including demands for the withdrawal of US forces from West Asia, the lifting of sanctions, and control over the Strait of Hormuz.
The failure to reach an agreement after face-to-face negotiations has raised doubts over the durability of the fragile ceasefire, as well as prospects of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise global energy markets.
(with pti inputs)
