New Delhi: Diplomatic efforts to initiate peace talks between Iranian and US officials to end the ongoing war has hit a roadblock after Iran refused to send its officials to Pakistan for a ceasefire negotiation.
Pakistan tried to play the role of “lead mediator” and pushed for brokering a ceasefire between Iran and the US and even pitched Islamabad as a venue for the talks between top officials of Tehran and the Trump administration. However, Tehran refused to meet US officials in Pakistan, mediators said, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Qatar or Istanbul could be new venue for talks?
Iran also cited Washington’s unreasonable demands for closing off the current framework for negotiations. With this, Turkey and Egypt, who are actively trying to mediate dialogue between the US and Iran, are now looking for an alternate option, and are contemplating pushing Qatar and Istanbul as a new venue for the talks.
According to a report by Axios, the US and Iran are holding talks to discuss a possible ceasefire deal in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran’s President wants a ceasefire and said that it would only happen when the Strait of Hormuz is “open, free, and clear.”
“We will consider when the Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are bombarding Iran to the point of destruction, or as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”, Trump wrote.
However, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry rejected the claim, calling it “false and baseless.”