A Pakistani delegation remained in Tehran on Thursday aiming to revive direct dialogue between Iran and the United States, officials said, as Islamabad presses mediation after an initial round of talks failed to produce a deal.
Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, held a preliminary meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday. Iran’s state media reported the discussions would continue, with Pakistani and Iranian officials exploring ways to narrow differences and seek an extension of the current U.S.-Iran ceasefire, which is set to expire next Wednesday.
A spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said no dates have been agreed for a second round of U.S.-Iran talks. The White House has indicated that any further meetings would likely be held in Islamabad.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Munir’s visit helped ease differences on some issues and “created more hopes” for prolonging the truce and arranging additional negotiations. The official, however, cautioned that major disputes persist—most prominently the disposition of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and the length of limits on its nuclear program—and said no solution has been found on those nuclear matters.
Last weekend’s talks in Islamabad ended without an agreement. U.S. Vice President JD Vance characterized the American offer as the “final and best” one, while Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, said the United States had not secured Iranian trust.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Qatar on Thursday as part of a regional tour that includes Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Sharif met Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to review regional and international developments. Qatar praised Pakistan’s mediation role in the U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks; both leaders voiced support for de-escalation and for coordinated international efforts to protect regional security and energy supply chains.
Pakistan’s mediation follows the April 8 ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. Islamabad has offered to host or facilitate further talks to solidify and extend the truce, but key disagreements—particularly over Iran’s nuclear stockpiles and the scope and duration of restrictions—remain significant obstacles to a comprehensive agreement.