Pakistan pushing for Round 2 of "Islamabad Process" after failed Iran talks

A elder Pakistani authorities authoritative confirmed to CBS News that Islamabad has intensified diplomatic efforts to bring Tehran and Washington backmost to the negotiating array implicit the Iran war.

Despite the deficiency of a breakthrough successful the historical face-to-face circular of talks implicit the weekend, Pakistani authorities said they stay cautiously optimistic astir the prospects for continued engagement betwixt some sides.

A commuter rides past a billboard for the U.S.-Iran bid talks successful Islamabad connected April 13, 2026. Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images

Notably, determination appears to beryllium an constituent of rebranding underway, with officials present progressively referring to the "Islamabad Talks" arsenic the "Islamabad Process," a displacement that suggests an effort to framework the engagement arsenic an ongoing diplomatic way alternatively than a one-off meeting.

The top-level root besides said Monday that Pakistan is successful progressive interaction with some Washington and Tehran, urging them to resume dialog astatine the earliest opportunity. The superior nonsubjective is to scope a workable knowing earlier the current ceasefire — acceptable to expire astir April 22 — ends successful bid to forestall a instrumentality to all-out-war. Efforts are present underway to facilitate a 2nd circular of talks wrong this constrictive window.

According to the source, these diplomatic initiatives are being pursued nether the nonstop instructions of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Both played a cardinal relation successful bringing the 2 sides together, were contiguous astatine varying times passim the 21 hours of inconclusive talks, and person been moving intensely to determination the process forward.

CBS News has been told Pakistan is present waiting for responses from some the U.S. and Iran.

Pakistan, a atomic powerfulness with a colonisation of 250 million, has been trying to rebrand itself to pull concern and stabilize its crippled economy. 

Successfully mediating specified bid talks would beryllium a diplomatic coup and spell immoderate mode toward helping the nation's tendency to beryllium seen arsenic a planetary player.

If the existent ceasefire holds, Pakistan whitethorn person immoderate wiggle country arsenic it tries to bring the Americans and Iranians backmost astir the table.

But with U.S. threats to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, and Iranian promises to retaliate, officials mightiness beryllium counting the clip they person astatine their disposal successful hours, alternatively than days.

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• Pakistan
• Iran