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The Strait of Hormuz remains among the main points of “serious disagreement” in talks between Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday, adding that consultations were continuing despite what it described as excessive US demands, while Iran insisted on preserving its military gains. Two rounds of talks have taken place between Iranian and US officials in Pakistan with a third round expected on Saturday evening or Sunday, Iranian state television reported as negotiations were underway in Islamabad. “According to information provided to the state TV correspondent by a person close to the negotiating team, another round of negotiations will likely be held tonight or tomorrow,” state broadcaster IRIB reported. The trilateral direct negotiations were taking place with host Pakistan, a senior White House official said earlier Saturday, a departure from recent practice where both sides held talks via a mediator while seated in separate rooms. An Iranian state TV correspondent reported that there were “plans for a third round of talks”, the latest in the efforts mediated by Pakistan to end the war. “We are waiting to see whether this (the third round) will happen or not,” the correspondent said, according to state TV. Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that the issue of the strategic Strait of Hormuz – through which nearly global crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes in peacetime – was “one of the topics that faces serious disagreement” among the negotiators. The reports came as the White House said high-level in-person trilateral talks with Iran and Pakistan were “ongoing” in Islamabad late on Saturday. A senior White House official said in a brief statement that the talks were continuing. Direct talks between the United States and Iran began in Islamabad on Saturday, marking a rare diplomatic engagement between the two countries. “Historic peace talks between Iran and the United States have begun in Islamabad, where the two sides are sitting face-to-face for the first time after heightened tensions,” PTV wrote in a post on X. “The arrival of high-level delegations, Pakistan’s effective diplomacy, and positive statements from global leaders have strengthened hopes for a ceasefire and lasting peace in the region, while the world watches closely for the outcome of these crucial negotiations.” Iranian Press TV also confirmed about the direct talks between Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday held separate meetings with the US and Iranian delegations, expressing hope that the ‘Islamabad Talks’ would pave the way for lasting peace in the Middle East. The meetings took place as the Islamabad Talks commenced in amid strict security, as senior US and Iranian leaders arrived in Islamabad for negotiations to end their six-week-old war. Meanwhile, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government would stand firmly by the Iranian people and that negotiations would be held with “courage”. “The high-ranking Iranian delegation that has arrived in Pakistan is a staunch guardian of Iran’s interests with all its might, and in this vein, it will engage in negotiations with courage. In any case, our service to the people will not pause for a moment, and whatever the outcome of the negotiations may be, the government stands firmly by the people’s side,” he wrote in a post on X. These are the highest-level US-Iran talks since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the first official face-to-face negotiations between the two sides since 2015, when the two sides reached a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme. In a meeting with the US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance, PM Shehbaz expressed the hope that Islamabad Talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region. The US vice president was assisted by President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. PM Shehbaz was assisted by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi. During the meeting with Vance, the prime minister commended the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively. “Pakistan looks forward to continue its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region,” the premier reiterated. Separately, the Iranian side led by Speaker of Iranian Consultative Assembly Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and assisted by Foreign Minister of Iran Abbas Araghchi also met PM Shehbaz. Appreciating Iran’s engagement in the Islamabad Talks, the prime minister affirmed Pakistan’s sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator to help build momentum towards achieving meaningful results in the interest of regional and global peace and stability. DPM Dar, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshall Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Naqvi attended the meeting from Pakistani side.
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