US-Iran ceasefire talks: Round 2 likely in Islamabad on April 20
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: The second round of ceasefire talks between Iranian and American negotiators is expected to take place in Islamabad on next Monday, CNN quoted Iranian officials familiar with the discussions on Saturday.
The two countries’ delegations are likely to arrive in the Pakistani capital on Sunday. The development comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in West Asia.
US Vice President JD Vance had led the American delegation to the first round of talks in Islamabad. It is not clear if he would lead the second round talks as well.
Separately, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discussed “international efforts aimed at de-escalation and advancing diplomatic solutions”, Al Jazeera reported.
“The Emir and the Turkish President commended the efforts undertaken by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in this regard, and expressed their support for the efforts of the Prime Minister,” Qatar’s Amiri Diwan said.
The meetings took place on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Army chief Asim Munir met Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran on Thursday as diplomatic efforts intensified to revive stalled US-Iran negotiations.
The visit comes amid heightened back-channel engagement between the United States and Iran, with Pakistani officials expressing hope for a breakthrough, particularly on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The first round of Islamabad Peace Talks, held on April 11-12, remained an inconclusive diplomatic attempt to end the West Asian war. The talks were the first high-level, face-to-face negotiations between the two nations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is seen as a potential step toward a broader de-escalation.
The ceasefire came amid heightened tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border, with exchanges involving Israeli armed forces and Hezbollah, which saw a major escalation following the US-Iran war in the region.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump said that Israel and Lebanon had reached an agreement to initiate a 10-day ceasefire following intensified diplomatic efforts to reduce hostilities in the region.
He said he held “excellent conversations” with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that both leaders committed to the temporary truce as a step towards a broader resolution.
The ceasefire comes at a critical juncture for West Asia following a period of significant volatility along the Israel-Lebanon border.
