Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday, diplomatic sources said. The two ministers discussed negotiations between the U.S. and Iran mediated by Islamabad, sources added. Dar was in Türkiye last week to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
A second round of talks between the U.S. and Iran had been expected this week in Pakistan, but Tehran said it would not attend the meeting until Washington ends its "illegal blockade of Iranian ports." The U.S. had said its delegation would be led by Vice President JD Vance.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump extended a two-week cease-fire with Iran to allow time for Tehran to prepare a "unified proposal," following a request by Pakistani officials.
Washington has called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained largely closed since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
Tehran declared the strait open Friday but closed it again a day later after Trump announced that the blockade of Iranian ports would continue. On Sunday, U.S. forces detained an Iranian cargo ship after opening fire and boarding it.
Pakistan brokered a two-week cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran on April 8, followed by critical talks in Islamabad on April 11 and 12 attended by senior delegations from both countries. However, the sides did not reach an agreement to end the Middle East war.
The cease-fire had been set to expire Wednesday, but Trump extended it without announcing a new timeframe.
