Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, after arrival in Russia, said that his trip to Islamabad was “very productive” and involved “good consultations” with Pakistan’s top leadership amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
During his visit, Araghchi discussed with Pakistani leaders “in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on”, referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran.
These remarks were made by Araghchi upon his arrival in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Monday morning.
“We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel.
The talks that Iran and Pakistan held in Islamabad last week were “successful”, Araghchi said upon arrival.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, said that the Russian president was scheduled to meet with the Iranian minister.
Araghchi described the trip to Pakistan as a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant,” according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.
Araghchi, who arrived in Russia from Pakistan, said the trip was “very productive” and “good consultations” were held with Pakistani officials on negotiations between Iran and the United States to end the war, the report in IRNA said.
“Developments have taken place in the negotiations. Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans’ approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” he said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
Araghchi on Sunday landed in Pakistan for the second time in three days and met Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir here before departing for Russia amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks with the US.
The Iranian minister, who left Islamabad on Saturday, came from Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
“It is only natural that, as two coastal countries bordering this strait, we should stay in close contact to safeguard our shared interests and coordinate any actions related to it, especially since the interests of Iran and Oman are directly involved in this matter,” Araghchi said.
