Pakistan invited to participate in upcoming US-Iran talks in Turkey

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been invited to participate in the talks between Iran and the United States scheduled to be held in Turkey.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi confirmed the invitation, saying: “Yes, Pakistan has been invited to the negotiations.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is expected to represent Pakistan at the talks, which are scheduled to begin in Istanbul on Friday, government sources said.

Sources said Pakistan will play its role in helping ease the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran. The talks will take place in Istanbul.

According to a report by the foreign news agency Reuters, Iranian and US officials said nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States are set to begin in Turkey on Friday.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will represent their countries in the talks. Both sides will seek to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme through diplomacy in an effort to prevent the region from sliding into another war.

One official said the priority of the Istanbul talks is to avoid conflict and reduce tensions between the two countries. A group of regional powers has also been invited to participate.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the United Arab Emirates have been invited to attend the Istanbul meeting.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump had warned that American warships were moving towards Iran and that “it could be bad” if no agreement was reached.

US naval vessels were deployed near Iran last month during violent anti-government protests in the country.