KABUL (Pajhwok): Despite hardline positions between the United States and Iran, the door remains open for further diplomacy and a second round of talks could be held within days, a media report said on Tuesday.
Regional countries are making efforts to bring the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table after marathon talks in Islamabad ended without a deal, The Wall Street Journal reported, quoting regional officials familiar with the matter.
It said that despite defiant statements from both sides, the door remains open for further diplomacy, and a second round of talks could take place within days.
The report added that regional countries are also consulting with the United States to secure an extension of a fragile two-week ceasefire announced late on Tuesday.
However, neither Iran nor the United States has officially commented on the report so far.
Talks between Iran and the United States, hosted by Pakistan, ended without agreement on Saturday after 21 hours of negotiations.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament and a member of the Iranian negotiating team in Islamabad, wrote on his X account on Sunday that the United States had failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation.
In contrast, US President Donald Trump said the direct talks with Iran in Islamabad failed because “Iran is not willing to abandon its nuclear programme.”
kk/sa
