Trump-Iran war talks: Pakistan offers to facilitate

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that his country would host talks between the United States and Iran to achieve a “comprehensive solution” to the ongoing war.

“Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end WAR in the Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond,” Sharif told X. he said.

“Subject to the agreement of the United States and Iran, Pakistan is ready and honored to host to facilitate meaningful and final negotiations for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,” he said.

The social media profiles of President Donald Trump, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were tagged in the post.

Trump, himself Truth Social platformLater Tuesday morning, he shared a screenshot of Sharif’s post.

The message followed a report that regional leaders were engaging in behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to help end the conflict. thousands of deaths and has wreaked havoc on the global economy since it began less than a month ago.

But much remains unclear about where things stand between the United States and Iran, which have made conflicting claims about the status of their talks.

As diplomatic efforts improve, the Pentagon also reportedly It is drawing up plans to deploy nearly 3,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.

The written order regarding the deployment of these troops to support operations in Iran is expected in the coming hours, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday afternoon, citing two US officials.

The reported development is as follows: at least two more Major US deployments to the Middle East in recent days join tens of thousands of troops already deployed in the region.

The USA did not order boots on the ground. Trump told a reporter last week that he was “not sending troops anywhere,” but added: “If he had, I certainly wouldn’t be telling you.”

Asked about the Journal’s report, an Army spokesman told CNBC: “I can tell you that the 82nd Airborne Division is currently at Fort Bragg, NC.”

Trump said Monday that senior U.S. negotiators and their Iranian counterparts began “very, very strong discussions” as recently as Sunday evening.

As a result of these so-called talks, Trump He said he would postpone it. On Saturday, he issued an ultimatum that Iran must either open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face major attacks on its power plants and energy infrastructure.

US stock markets rose after this announcement. However, Iranian officials denied that such talks took place.

An Iranian source told CNN On Tuesday, it was announced that the United States had started “aid” to Iran, although full-scale negotiations have not yet started.

This statement also contradicts Trump, who said on Monday that Iran had reached out to the US: “I didn’t call. They called. They want to make a deal.”

Washington PostPakistan, Egypt and Türkiye acted as intermediaries in the talks between Witkoff and Araghchi, he said Tuesday morning, citing U.S. and foreign officials.

Wall StreetJournal The foreign ministers of these countries and Saudi Arabia reportedly met in Riyadh on Thursday to hold talks on a diplomatic end to the war.

But Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last week pushed Trump to continue fighting Iran. New York Times It was reported, citing people briefed by US officials about their conversations.

This is developing news. Please check back for updates.

— CNBC’s Ryan Ruggiero contributed to this report.