File photo: US President Donald Trump
The United States has reportedly put forward two new conditions ahead of the second round of peace talks with Iran to be held in Pakistan on Thursday.According to a report by Israel Hayom, Washington wants the full and unrestricted reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The report claims that the Americans stand by the position of reciprocity. In other words, if the Iranians block the movement of ships and tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, their own ships and tankers will also not be allowed through it. Citing diplomatic sources, the report said the US also wants the Iranian delegation to receive full authorization from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps before the two sides reach an agreement.Reportedly, two senior Revolutionary Guard officers, Ahmed Wahidi and Ali Abdullahi, did not allow the political delegation present in Pakistan to respond to the Americans. Following this, Pezeshkian reportedly demanded that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is leading the Iranian delegation, take a stand and “save Iran from complete economic collapse”.This comes as US and Iranian delegations are scheduled to return to Pakistan this weekend to resume the second round of talks to end the war that began on February 28.However, there was no immediate confirmation from US officials about the plans, which Iranian and Pakistani officials discussed on condition of anonymity.A source involved in the talks said a proposal had been sent to Washington and Tehran for the delegations to return to Islamabad to resume discussions. No date has been decided yet but both the countries can return by the end of this week.An official at the Iranian Embassy in Islamabad said, “The upcoming round of talks could take place at the end of this week or early next week. But nothing has been finalized yet.”Earlier, a senior Iranian source told Reuters: “No specific date has been set, the delegations are open from Friday to Sunday.”A senior Pakistani official said Islamabad had contacted Iran and “we have received a positive response that they are ready for another round of talks.”The official and a second Pakistani source said Islamabad is in talks with both sides about the timing of the next round, and the meeting is likely to take place over the coming weekend.