Islamabad, April 25 — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, after an Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad amid a widening diplomatic deadlock with the United States.
The meeting occurred while the capital was subject to tight security measures: major arteries were sealed and the high-security Red Zone was placed under a strict cordon, leaving much of the city under what officials described as a suffocating lockdown.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar wrote on social media that he was pleased to “receive and welcome my brother, Foreign Minister of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, to Islamabad,” and said he anticipated “meaningful engagements aimed at promoting regional peace and stability.”
The visit coincides with U.S. plans to send envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to the region for possible talks with Tehran, although Iranian authorities have said they “would not be meeting” with the United States. Tehran’s state media dismissed the prospect of direct negotiations, calling them “not in the cards.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the two envoys are expected to meet Araghchi and expressed hope the discussions would be “productive” and help “move the ball forward to a deal.” She added that Vice President JD Vance would not travel to the site but was “deeply involved.”
The diplomatic impasse has taken a heavy toll on daily life in Islamabad: markets in the Blue Area were largely deserted, public transport was disrupted, and residents reported rising shortages of basic goods alongside the stress of prolonged uncertainty. Authorities previously imposed similar shutdowns on April 11-12 during initial discussions that failed to produce a breakthrough.
Key sticking points in the wider dispute include Tehran’s highly enriched uranium and its nuclear intentions, the status of the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel’s military actions in Lebanon. U.S. officials say their envoys are ready for in-person dialogue, but Tehran has so far rejected direct talks.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance recalled that an earlier round of negotiations involved “21 hours of intense negotiations” without a breakthrough, adding: “Their nuclear program and the enrichment facilities they had before have been destroyed. But we do not see a commitment to not develop more nuclear weapons.”
These contacts are among the most significant diplomatic engagements since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Attempts to revive talks have been complicated by a U.S. naval presence off Iranian ports and Tehran’s response, which officials characterize as a “de facto blockade” of the Strait of Hormuz that has disrupted maritime traffic and unsettled global markets.
Washington has also reinforced its military posture in the region with the arrival of the USS George HW Bush, marking a third U.S. aircraft carrier deployment, and has stepped up economic pressure with new sanctions on a major Chinese oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping firms and tankers linked to Iranian crude.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said Araghchi would meet senior Pakistani leaders to “discuss the latest regional developments as well as ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability,” even as the capital remained in a state of suspended animation and it remained unclear whether fresh talks would be arranged. (ANI)
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