April 7 (Reuters) – Efforts to facilitate talks between the U.S. and Iran are still ongoing, two Pakistani sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters on Tuesday, as U.S. strikes on Iran intensified and President Donald Trump’s deadline to unleash “hell” neared. One of the sources, a senior security official, said Iran’s overnight strike on Saudi Arabia’s industrial facilities linked to U.S. firms threatened to derail the talks. If Saudi Arabia were to respond to the strikes, the talks would be over, the source said, adding that retaliation could also draw Pakistan into the conflict under its defence pact with Riyadh. The second source said Iran was “walking on thin ice” and that the next three to four hours were critical for the future of dialogue.
Pakistan has been at the centre of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran in recent weeks, acting as the main go-between for proposals shared by both sides, but there has been no sign of a compromise.
“We are in touch with Iranians. They have lately shown flexibility that they could join the talks, but they are at the same time taking hard lines as a prerequisite for any negotiations,” the Pakistani security source said. He added that Islamabad was persuading Tehran to enter negotiations without prior conditions. DEFENCE PACT WITH RIYADH Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday that messages are still being exchanged via mediators. A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Tuesday that Tehran had rejected a proposal conveyed by intermediaries for a temporary ceasefire. Talks on a lasting peace could begin only after the United States and Israel end their strikes, provide a guarantee they will not resume, and offer compensation for damages, the source said. The strike on Saudi Arabia threatens to complicate Pakistan’s efforts, with Islamabad locked into a mutual defence pact with Riyadh that requires the two countries to come to one another’s defence in case of an attack. Islamabad has been working to avoid being pulled into the war, which could wreak havoc along its shared western border with Iran and roil discontent among its large Shi’ite population, the second largest in the world after Iran.
Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement on Tuesday that the strikes on Saudi Arabia constitute “a dangerous escalation that undermines regional peace and stability”.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad, Ariba Shahid and Parisa Hafezi; Writing by Saad Sayeed; Editing by YP Rajesh)
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