Iran’s foreign minister leaves Pakistan, heads to Russia for more talks
Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, has left Islamabad for Moscow, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, as mediators hope to keep the prospect of more Tehran-Washington talks alive.
Araghchi sandwiched a trip to Oman’s Muscat in between visits to the Pakistani capital, leaving on Sunday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow the following day. But there was no indication that direct talks between Iran and the United States would resume.
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However, in a sign that indirect efforts were ongoing, the Fars news agency reported that Iran had transmitted “written messages” to the Americans via mediator Pakistan, which were “about some of the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz”.
The messages were not part of any negotiations, however, Fars clarified.
US President Donald Trump last week indefinitely extended the ceasefire that Washington and Tehran agreed to on April 7, which has largely halted the fighting that began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
But a permanent settlement remains elusive, and the economic shockwaves of the war continue to reverberate around the globe.
Iran has effectively blocked the vital Strait of Hormuz, cutting off vast quantities of oil, natural gas and fertiliser from the global market, and sending prices soaring. The US has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in response.
There had been hopes for a new round of talks on Saturday, with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner due to visit Islamabad, but Trump later told Fox News he had scrapped the trip, saying there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing”.
AdvertisementOn Sunday, Trump told the same channel: “I said, we’re not doing this anymore. We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines”.
Asked earlier whether cancelling the trip meant a return to open hostilities, Trump said: “No, it doesn’t mean that.”
Shuttle diplomacy
On Saturday, Araghchi met Pakistan’s military chief, Asim Munir, a key mediator, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar, before flying on to Muscat. He returned to Islamabad on Sunday.
He later left for Russia, Iran’s foreign ministry said, where he would speak with “senior officials”.
Russia’s foreign ministry confirmed he would visit Moscow, but did not say if he would meet President Vladimir Putin.
Amid the flurry of meetings, Araghchi signalled scepticism over Washington’s intentions, saying he had “yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy”.