Islamabad may host next Iran-US talks

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday described the latest round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States in Doha as encouraging, saying the negotiations had made positive progress and would continue.

Speaking at the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan and Qatar had separately met Iranian and US negotiators. He added that discussions had advanced on issues linked to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which followed the Lake Lucerne Summit.

While declining to reveal details, Andrabi said the talks remained confidential and emphasised that dialogue between the two sides was continuing. He also said Islamabad could host a future round of negotiations, although no decision had been made.

The spokesperson's remarks came ahead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Tehran to attend the funeral of Ayatollah Khamenei and offer condolences on behalf of Pakistan.

He said Pakistan remained committed to supporting diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions between Iran and the United States. Pakistan and Qatar had jointly facilitated the Islamabad MoU last month, helping revive diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran.

Commenting on India, Andrabi criticised New Delhi's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), rejecting its attempts to link the move to terrorism. He said the dispute reflected India's approach towards controlling shared water resources rather than addressing security concerns. Reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to the treaty, he said Islamabad would continue to protect its water rights through diplomatic and legal channels while maintaining communication through the Indus Water Commissioners.

On Afghanistan, Andrabi reiterated Pakistan's concerns over militant groups allegedly operating from Afghan territory. He said Afghan nationals, including one suspect arrested alive, were involved in the recent terrorist attack in Karachi, prompting Pakistan to summon the Afghan chargé d'affaires and issue a formal protest.

He added that Pakistan's recent cross-border operations were intelligence-based and targeted only terrorist hideouts. Stressing that Islamabad reserved the right to respond to security threats under international law, Andrabi said terrorism continued to hinder regional trade and connectivity. He also clarified that there had been no change in the diplomatic status of the Pakistani and Afghan missions.