ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has said it expects that a deal between the US and Iran will happen “soon,” without giving any timeframe.
Islamabad would welcome a settlement between Iran and the US wherever it may be reached, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi on Thursday, according to local daily Dawn.
“If an agreement is reached in Pakistan, it would be an honour for us,” he told reporters in Islamabad.
Andrabi, however, refused to confirm details of a potential pact amid US media reports that Washington and Tehran are closing in on a one-page memorandum of understanding.
Pakistani government sources earlier said that it is expecting to host a second round of stalled peace talks between the US and Iran next week to end their war.
The sources added that Islamabad expects the US and Iran to reach a “primary” agreement before US President Donald Trump’s visit to China, which is scheduled for late next week.
Meanwhile, Iran said it is reviewing the latest American proposals on ending the war, as US President Donald Trump threatened the country with a new wave of bombing unless a deal is reached that includes reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.
A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, told state TV that Tehran had “strongly rejected” US proposals reported by Axios, but that it was still examining the latest US proposal.
Earlier, Trump posted on social media that the two-month war could soon end and that oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict could restart. But he said that depends on Iran accepting a reported agreement that he did not detail.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” Trump wrote.
Pakistan hosted the first round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran on April 11-12, but failed to produce an agreement to end the war.
The talks followed a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan on April 8, which was later extended by Trump.
SOURCE:TRT World & Agencies
