Second Round of Iran-US Talks Likely In Islamabad, Trump

Web Desk
April 14, 2026

WASHINGTON – United States President Donald Trump has announced that a second round of peace talks between Washington and Tehran is likely to take place in Islamabad within the next two days, while lavishing praise on Pakistan’s military leadership for facilitating the dialogue.

In an interview with the New York Post, Trump was asked whether he would visit Pakistan for further negotiations. He responded by highlighting the extraordinary efforts of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces.

“Field Marshal Munir is doing a tremendous job,” Trump said. “That is why it is possible that we might see something big happening in the next couple of days, and we may return to Islamabad again.”

‘Why Would We Go to a Country That Has Nothing to Do With It?’

The US President also addressed a question that has puzzled many observers: why Pakistan, a nation geographically removed from the immediate theater of the Middle East conflict, has become the chosen venue for these high-stakes negotiations.

“Why would we go to a country that has nothing to do with this matter?” Trump asked rhetorically, before answering his own question by reaffirming his confidence in Pakistan’s leadership.

He praised both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Munir as “very extraordinary men” who have demonstrated “kind and very competent leadership”.

Pakistan’s Unique Mediating Role

Trump’s remarks underscore the unique diplomatic position Pakistan has carved out for itself in one of the most complex geopolitical crises of the decade. Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, Pakistan has emerged as the primary intermediary between the two arch-rivals.

Several factors have enabled Islamabad to play this role:

• Historic ties with Iran: Pakistan shares a long border with Iran and maintains what it describes as a “brotherly” relationship with the country.
• Close partnership with the US: The Trump administration has consistently praised Pakistan’s military leadership, with Trump personally referring to Field Marshal Munir as his “favorite” military chief.
• Strategic credibility: According to BBC analysis, only Pakistan possessed the diplomatic capital and trust from both sides to bring them to the negotiating table.

Previous Round: 21-Hour Marathon Talks

The first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran was held in Islamabad on April 10-11, marking the first direct negotiations between the two countries in nearly half a century.

The session lasted more than 21 hours, continuing through the night and into the following day. The US delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser.

The Iranian delegation was headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

What Was Achieved?

While the talks did not produce a final peace agreement, both sides described the discussions as “substantive and forward-looking”. The two-week ceasefire that had been brokered by Pakistan days earlier remained intact.

However, the core issue dividing the two nations — Iran’s nuclear program — remained unresolved. Trump has repeatedly declared that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” while Iranian negotiators have refused to abandon what they consider their sovereign right.

Trump acknowledged the impasse in his Truth Social post following the talks:

“The meeting with Iran began early in the morning, and lasted throughout the night — Close to 20 hours. I could go into great detail… but there is only one thing that matters — IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!”

Pakistan’s Ceasefire Brokering

The Islamabad talks were an offshoot of a fragile two-week ceasefire that Pakistan helped broker just days earlier . According to Pakistani officials, the truce was secured through intense backchannel communications, with a “very small circle” of Pakistani mediators relaying messages between Washington and Tehran.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed the breakthrough in a post on X, announcing that both sides had agreed to meet in Islamabad to “further negotiate for a conclusive agreement”.

What to Expect in the Second Round

The upcoming second round of talks is expected to focus on the same core issues:

• Iran’s nuclear program and uranium enrichment
• Sanctions relief and unfreezing of Iranian assets
• Security arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz
• Regional stability, including the situation in Lebanon and Yemen

The Iranian delegation has repeatedly insisted that the US must unfreeze Iranian assets as a precondition for any meaningful progress — a demand that remains difficult for the Trump administration to accept.

US Navy Block Straif Of Hormuz

‘A Very Big Weekend for Us’

For Pakistan, hosting these negotiations represents a significant diplomatic achievement. As one Islamabad resident told the BBC during the first round of talks:

“It’s a very big weekend for us.”

The Pakistani people have taken pride in their country’s emergence as a credible mediator on the global stage, with many viewing it as a validation of Pakistan’s balanced foreign policy and strategic importance.

Whether the second round of talks will yield a breakthrough remains uncertain. But for now, Islamabad remains the unlikely epicenter of efforts to end one of the most devastating conflicts in recent Middle Eastern history.