ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s capital is likely to host the next round of technical-level negotiations between the United States and Iran on July 14 and 15 as diplomatic efforts continue to secure a lasting settlement in the Middle East, government sources said on Sunday.
According to officials familiar with the matter, technical experts from both countries are expected to participate in the talks, while Pakistan will serve as a mediator during the discussions.
The proposed meeting would mark the third round of technical negotiations following earlier sessions held in Switzerland’s Burgenstock and Qatar’s Doha.
Sources cited by Al Arabiya said the agenda is expected to include US sanctions on Iran, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and Tehran’s nuclear programme. The final composition of the Iranian delegation will reportedly be decided after the funeral of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Officials familiar with the previous Doha talks said negotiators spent two days discussing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and mechanisms for releasing Iranian funds frozen abroad, both of which are key elements of the preliminary agreement reached last month.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry later described the Doha negotiations as making “positive progress,” saying the discussions advanced the implementation of the memorandum agreed upon after the June ceasefire and built on understandings reached during earlier negotiations in Switzerland.
In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding brokered by Pakistan and Qatar that established a 60-day ceasefire after months of conflict. The agreement also paved the way for negotiations on the long-term management of the Strait of Hormuz, reconstruction assistance for Iran, sanctions-related issues, and the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.
Following the latest round of indirect talks in Doha, US President Donald Trump, along with mediators Pakistan and Qatar, expressed optimism that diplomatic engagement remained on track. In a joint statement, the mediators said separate meetings with the American and Iranian delegations had produced encouraging progress.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who headed Tehran’s delegation, announced that both sides had agreed to establish a communication mechanism to report and address alleged violations of the ceasefire memorandum.
He added that negotiators also discussed the release of frozen Iranian assets, including arrangements for the use of an initial $6 billion to procure essential goods for Iran.
The conflict, which erupted on February 28 following coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, has claimed more than 2,000 lives and heightened instability across the region. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several senior civilian and military leaders, was killed in the initial attacks, prompting Iranian retaliatory measures, including disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and strikes on US and Israeli interests.
