Pakistan has been invited to participate in the Iran-US talks aimed at de-escalation of tensions between Tehran and Washington, the Foreign Office (FO) confirmed on Tuesday.
“Pakistan has received the invitation for the upcoming talks between Iran and the United States,” FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said while responding to a query.
“Pakistan’s participation is seen as crucial to defusing tensions, as Islamabad has been quietly working to facilitate the talks,” a diplomatic source told the media.
The diplomatic source added that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is expected to participate in the meeting.
The meeting is likely to take place in Turkiye on Friday, an Arab official told AFP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
US outlet Axios cited two unnamed sources and a US official as saying Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Istanbul to discuss a possible deal on the nuclear issue.
The priority of the talks is to avoid any conflict and de-escalate tensions between the two sides, a regional official told Reuters, adding that some regional powers were also invited.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said some of the countries invited to the talks at the foreign ministers’ level included Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The person said the format of the meetings remained unclear, but that the “main meeting” would be on Friday and that it was important to start dialogue between the parties to avoid further escalation.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Tuesday that he has instructed FM Araghchi to pursue “fair and equitable negotiations” provided that an environment “free from threats and unreasonable expectations”.
The talks will be held “within the framework of our national interests”, he said in a series of posts on X.
Separately, the UAE has urged Iran and the United States on Tuesday to strike a nuclear deal and reach a long-term solution to tensions ahead of the resumption of talks between the foes and regional states, emphasizing that the Middle East does not need another war.
‘US shoots down Iranian drone approaching aircraft carrier’
The US military on Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, it said.
The Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying toward the carrier “with unclear intent” and was shot down by an American F-35 fighter jet, it said.
“An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defence and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board,” said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson at the US military’s Central Command.
No American service members were harmed during the incident and no US equipment was damaged, he added.
The incident came as diplomats sought to arrange nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, and US President Donald Trump warned that with US warships heading toward Iran, “bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached.