Iran and the U.S. may engage in the next round of technical talks in Islamabad, according to various media reports, which suggest the meeting could take place as early as July 14.
The visit, if it materializes, would be preceded by the visit of an Iranian delegation to Pakistan in the coming week. Pakistan would serve as mediator during the technical talks.
Tehran and Washington have already engaged in two rounds of technical talks, the first in Switzerland and the second in Doha. Per the technical framework of their peace accord, the two states have 60 days to conduct and conclude the talks on issues such as U.S. sanctions on Iran, Tehran’s frozen assets, and Iranian nuclear assets.
The talks were suspended the past week for the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes. According to sources, the Doha talks pertained to the Strait of Hormuz and unfreezing of Iran’s funds, with Qatar’s Foreign Ministry claiming “positive progress” on the issues. In a statement, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi also said the two sides had agreed to establishing a communications channel to report and record alleged violations of the peace memorandum.
The Iran-U.S. conflict began on Feb. 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets. Over nearly three months, the conflict resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 people and significant pressures on the global economy due to the closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.