WASHINGTON/CAIRO/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – The United States expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran would go ahead in Pakistan and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining, but significant hurdles and uncertainty remained as the end of a ceasefire loomed.
The two-week truce in the war is set to expire within days and despite Iran earlier ruling out a second round of negotiations this week, a Pakistani source involved in the discussions told Reuters there was momentum for talks to recommence on Wednesday.
“Things are moving forward and the talks are on track for tomorrow,” the source said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity, adding U.S. President Donald Trump could attend in person, or virtually, if a deal were to be signed.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance will travel to Pakistan on Tuesday for negotiations, Axios reported, citing U.S. sources and the Wall Street Journal said Iran had told regional mediators it would send a delegation to Pakistan on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
An Iranian official, speaking to Reuters, said Tehran was “positively reviewing” its participation in the talks but stressed no decision had been made.
Oil prices fell more than $1 and stocks bounced back in early trading in Asia on Tuesday on expectation that U.S.-Iran peace talks will resume this week, after an earlier meeting in Islamabad broke down without an agreement. Oil prices had jumped around 6% in Monday trading on doubts over the talks.
