Iran’s foreign minister leaves without meeting US envoys, Pakistani officials say - BERITAJA

Iran ‘s overseas curate near Pakistan connected Saturday evening, 2 Pakistani officials told The Associated Press, earlier immoderate motion that U.S. envoys had moreover arrived for indirect talks connected the vulnerable ceasefire.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was seen disconnected astatine an airport, the officials said, speaking connected information of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

He had met pinch Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about what he called Iran’s reddish lines for negotiations, and said Tehran would prosecute pinch Pakistan’s mediation efforts “until a consequence is achieved.”

It was unclear erstwhile President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were owed to get successful Islamabad. The White House declined to comment.

An open-ended ceasefire has paused most fighting, but the economic fallout grows pinch world shipments of oil, liquefied earthy gas, fertilizer and other supplies disrupted by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian officials person openly asked really they could spot the U.S. aft talks past twelvemonth and early this twelvemonth complete Tehran’s atomic programme ended pinch it being attacked by the U.S. and Israel.

Iran has said talks will beryllium indirect

Islamabad had been successful near-lockdown up of the expected talks. Pakistan has been trying to get U.S. and Iran backmost to the array since Trump this week announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire, honoring Islamabad’s petition for much negotiated outreach.

The White House connected Friday said Trump was sending Witkoff and Kushner to meet pinch Araghchi. But Iran’s overseas ministry said immoderate talks would beryllium indirect and Pakistani officials would convey messages.

The first information of talks successful Pakistan, led connected the U.S. broadside by Vice President JD Vance, lasted complete 20 hours and were face-to-face, the highest-level nonstop talks betwixt the longtime adversaries since the Islamic Revolution successful 1979.

Araghchi and Trump’s envoys held hours of indirect talks successful Geneva connected Feb. 27 but walked distant without a deal. The adjacent day, Israel and the United States started the war.

The standoff about the strait continues

The value of Brent crude oil, the world standard, is still about 50% higher than erstwhile the warfare began because of Iran’s grip connected the Strait of Hormuz, a strategical waterway done which a 5th of the world’s lipid passes successful peacetime.

Iran attacked 3 ships this week, while the U.S. maintains a blockade connected Iranian ports. Trump has ordered the subject to “shoot and kill” mini boats that could be placing mines.

Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Saturday his state is sending minesweeper ships to the Mediterranean to thief region Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz erstwhile hostilities end.

The compression connected shipments done the strait has rippled done world maritime trade, including through the Panama Canal nearly halfway about the world.

Also Saturday, Iran resumed commercialized flights from Tehran’s world airdrome for the first clip since the warfare began pinch U.S. and Israeli strikes 2 months ago. Flights were scheduled to depart for Istanbul, Oman’s superior of Muscat and the Saudi metropolis of Medina, according to Iran’s state-run television. Iran partially reopened its airspace earlier this period owed to the ceasefire.

A increasing toll moreover arsenic ceasefires hold

Since the warfare began, authorities opportunity astatine slightest 3,375 group person been killed successful Iran and much than 2,490 group successful Lebanon, wherever caller fighting betwixt Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah collapsed retired 2 days aft the Iran warfare started.

Additionally, 23 group person been killed successful Israel and much than a twelve successful Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers successful Lebanon, 13 U.S. work members successful the region and six members of the U.N. peacekeeping unit successful confederate Lebanon person been killed.

Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to widen a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by 3 weeks. Hezbollah has not participated successful the Washington-brokered diplomacy.