Pakistan to Iran: We Hope Future Negotiations Will Proceed Smoothly

SadaNews - The Pakistani Foreign Ministry announced today, Friday, that Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar agreed with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi on the importance of continuing dialogue and coordination in the upcoming period.

The Foreign Ministry stated in a statement published on the "X" platform that the two ministers discussed bilateral relations and regional developments during a phone call, where the Islamabad Foreign Minister expressed his wishes for the success of the next phase of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, hoping that talks would proceed smoothly and lead to positive results.

For his part, Araqchi expressed his appreciation for Pakistan's continuous and constructive mediation efforts, valuing the role that Islamabad has played in this context.

The two ministers also exchanged views on regional developments and expressed their concern regarding Israeli violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon and its implications for the situation in the region.

The Iranian-Pakistani call came amid a broad Israeli escalation in Lebanon, where fierce raids were witnessed in the past hours on several towns in the south and Bekaa Valley, as Israel targeted the Baalbek area for the first time since Washington and Tehran reached an agreement to stop the war in the Middle East, which includes Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the Swiss government announced the postponement of the negotiations scheduled for Friday in Switzerland between Tehran and Washington aimed at launching a 60-day process to resolve the central issue related to Tehran's nuclear program, to an indefinite date.

It is noteworthy that stopping the war in Lebanon was one of the points among the 14 items stipulated in the memorandum of understanding signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, late Wednesday, to stop the war and initiate 60-day talks aimed at reaching a final agreement on the nuclear file.

However, Israel, which appeared somewhat displeased with the agreement, has repeatedly affirmed its continued deployment of troops in Lebanese territories and attacking movements of Hezbollah, leading to increased tension with Trump.

Meanwhile, Iran requested guarantees to stop Israeli strikes in Lebanon before entering into negotiations that were scheduled in Switzerland today, Friday, with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and other senior officials, which were later postponed.