US, Iran share texts to reach common framework for negotiations: Reports
ISLAMABAD, April 11: The first phase of historic, in-person talks between US and Iranian delegations has ended and Iran’s semi-official ‘Tasnim’ news agency has confirmed that the US and Iran are exchanging texts in an effort “to reach a common framework for the negotiations”, according to an Aljazeera report.
Two sides are now exchanging written messages.
Citing its correspondent in Pakistan’s capital, Tasnim said progress has been hindered by “usual excessive demands” from Washington.
The news agency also said the consultations are ongoing, but that “the issue of the Strait of Hormuz is one of the issues facing serious disagreement”.
A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance held historic face-to-face talks with top Iranian negotiators in Pakistan on Saturday to reach a peace agreement to end the war in West Asia that has paralysed global energy markets and disrupted trade.
The Pakistan-brokered talks — the first direct, high-level engagement between the two sides since the 1979 Islamic Revolution– are being watched globally amid increasing expectations of a breakthrough.
Ahead of the trilateral negotiations in Islamabad, the Vance-led US team and the Iranian delegation headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held separate meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“After Pakistan PM Sharif held separate meetings with both the delegations, formal round of direct negotiations between Iran and the United States has officially begun,” a senior Pakistani official told PTI.
As the negotiations continued, the Iranian government said on social media that “talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad entered the expert-level stage as economic, military, legal and nuclear committees joined in”.
Without elaborating, it added that certain “technical details” are being finalised.
Sources in the Pakistani establishment said that the overall atmosphere in talks was “encouraging”.
There were reports that talks may continue on Sunday if no breakthrough was achieved tonight. (Agencies)
