US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that talks with Iran could resume in Pakistan within the next two days, according to an interview with the New York Post.
“You should stay there, really, because something could happen in the next two days, and we’re inclined to go there,” Trump said.
Trump said Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was doing a “great job” at the talks. “It’s fantastic, and that makes it more likely we’ll go back there,” Trump said.
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“It’s more likely, you know why? Because the field marshal is doing a great job,” Trump was quoted as saying by the New York Post.
“It’s fantastic and that makes us more likely to go back there,” he said. “Why should we go to some country that has nothing to do with it?” Trump added.
Trump’s comments came as Pakistan suggested holding a second round in the coming days.
Two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press that the initial talks were part of an ongoing diplomatic process rather than a one-off effort.
Meanwhile, two US officials said on Monday that discussions were still ongoing about a new round of talks. A diplomat from one of the mediating countries said Tehran and Washington had agreed to it, the AP reported.
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According to American officials, the negotiations could take place on Thursday. The location, timing and composition of the delegations have not been decided, although Islamabad and Geneva are being considered as host cities.
The US-Iran war, now in its seventh week, has rattled markets and rattled the global economy as shipping has been disrupted and military and civilian infrastructure torn apart by airstrikes across the region.
The fighting left at least 3,000 dead in Iran, more than 2,000 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in the Arab Gulf states. 13 American service members were also killed.
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Trump announced the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
The standoff between the United States and Iran deepened on Tuesday as the US said it had blocked Iranian ports, Tehran threatened to attack targets across the region and Pakistan said it was racing to bring the sides together for further talks.
US and Iranian delegations met in Pakistan over the weekend for peace talks after a two-week ceasefire was declared in the Middle East war that began on February 28.
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After the meeting in Islamabad, Trump said: “IRAN IS NOT WILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!” In a post on TRUTH Social, Trump said, “…the meeting went well, most points were agreed upon, but the one point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not.
He also called Sharif and Munir “very extraordinary men”.
“I was fully briefed by Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about the meeting that took place in Islamabad through the kind and very competent leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan,” Trump said after the meeting.
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Although last week’s ceasefire appeared to be in place, the showdown over the Strait of Hormuz risked reigniting hostilities and deepening the economic impact of the regional war.
Meanwhile, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were set to begin in Washington, the first such talks in decades.
