‘No date or venue’ finalized yet for resumption of US-Iran direct talks: Sources

“No date or venue” has yet been finalized for the resumption of long-stalled direct talks between the US and Iran aimed at ending their months-long war, Pakistani government sources told Anadolu on Monday.

“There is no meeting (between US and Iranian negotiators) scheduled in Islamabad, at least in the next 24 hours,” a senior Pakistani official said.

The official was responding to US President Donald Trump’s statement that new negotiations with Iran would begin Monday afternoon after he decided to hold off on striking the Islamic Republic.

Pakistani and Qatari mediators are in contact with Washington and Tehran to finalize a date and venue for the resumption of direct talks, the sources said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday that Tehran was not engaged in negotiations with the US.

Islamabad and Doha are among the expected venues for the talks, according to the sources.

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is expected to visit Tehran “in a day or two” to discuss matters related to reviving the talks, they said.

Naqvi’s office did not respond to Anadolu’s request for comment.

The sources said “positive developments” concerning the resumption of talks were expected this week as both sides exchanged messages through mediators in an effort to revive direct negotiations under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

Washington and Tehran signed the memorandum on June 17, agreeing to advance negotiations toward a permanent settlement on several contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, within 60 days.

However, hostilities that began last month have cast uncertainty over the future of the agreement.

Indirect talks

The US and Iran are expected to hold indirect talks through mediators in the initial phase to reach a “minimum understanding” before direct negotiations resume, according to the sources.

They added that the nuclear issue would not be included in the first phase of direct talks.

“The prime focus will be on consolidating the latest pause in the hostilities and returning to the pre-July 9 position,” one source said, referring to a joint de-escalation formula drafted last month by Pakistan and Qatar in consultation with “regional partners.”

Under the proposal, Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which handled one-fifth of global oil supplies before the war began, while Washington would lift its blockade of Iranian ports.

No transit fee would be imposed on vessels passing through the strait until a final agreement on the issue was reached, the sources said.

Implementation of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon would also be among the leading items on the talks’ agenda, they added.