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A fresh round of talks between Iranian and American negotiators is expected to take place in Islamabad on Monday, Iranian officials familiar with the discussions said, CNN reported.
They added that delegations are likely to arrive in the Pakistani capital on Sunday, as reported by CNN. The development comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to ease West Asia tensions. Separately, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discussed "international efforts aimed at de-escalation and advancing diplomatic solutions", Al Jazeera reported. "The Emir and the Turkish President commended the efforts undertaken by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in this regard, and expressed their support for the efforts of the prime minister," Qatar's Amiri Diwan said, according to Al Jazeera. The meetings took place on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, as per Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir met Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran on Thursday as diplomatic efforts intensified to revive stalled US-Iran negotiations. The visit comes amid heightened back-channel engagement between the United States and Iran, with Pakistani officials expressing hope for a breakthrough, particularly on Tehran's nuclear programme, Al Jazeera reported. Munir, who arrived in Tehran on Wednesday, was received by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The visit aims to prepare the ground for a possible second round of talks after earlier discussions ended without progress. The Islamabad Peace Talks, held on 11-12 April, marked a historic but inconclusive diplomatic attempt to end the 39-day Gulf War between the United States and Iran. Mediated by Pakistan, the talks were the first high-level, face-to-face negotiations between the two nations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is seen as a potential step toward broader de-escalation. The ceasefire comes amid heightened tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border, with exchanges involving Israeli armed forces and Hezbollah, which saw a major escalation following the US-Iran war in the region. Earlier on Thursday, Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had reached an agreement to initiate a 10-day ceasefire, following intensified diplomatic efforts to reduce hostilities in the region. The US President shared that he held "excellent conversations" with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirming that both leaders have committed to the temporary truce as a step towards a broader resolution. The ceasefire comes at a critical juncture for West Asia, following a period of significant volatility along the Israel-Lebanon border. (ANI)
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