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Iran envoy meets Pakistan PM as Trump’s ceasefire extension fails to break talks deadlock

By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD – Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, hours after US President Donald Trump unilaterally extended the ceasefire with Tehran -- a move that has so far failed to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.

The meeting, confirmed by a brief statement from Sharif’s office, focused on the “ongoing regional situation and peace efforts.” No further details were disclosed, underscoring the sensitivity of the back-channel diplomacy unfolding in the Pakistani capital.

According to sources, Iran’s ambassador conveyed a positive message to Sharif from Tehran; however, the official sources didn't share further details.

The ambassador’s visit comes amid growing frustration in Islamabad, which has invested heavily in brokering a truce between Washington and Tehran.

Earlier Wednesday, President Trump announced an extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran, originally brokered by Pakistan on April 8. The president cited a request from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.

But the olive branch has been met with stone from Tehran.

Iran has repeatedly stated it will not participate in any second round of talks in Islamabad until the United States ends it naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Without that precondition met, diplomats say, the extended ceasefire risks becoming a diplomatic vacuum rather than a pathway to peace.

The original ceasefire was set to expire Wednesday. However, Trump’s extension came without a new timeframe -- a deliberate ambiguity that gives diplomacy more runway but also leaves the region in a state of suspended animation.

For now, Pakistan continues to play the mediator, with Prime Minister Sharif personally engaged to break the deadlock.