Iran insists on holding further talks with the US in Islamabad

JAKARTA - The Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam said the second round of talks with the US would only be held in Islamabad. Pakistan is considered a credible and neutral facilitator.

Speaking at an event organized by the Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad, Moghadam expressed strong confidence in Islamabad, according to a Hum News report.

"We trust Pakistan, not the United States," Moghadam said, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Friday, April 17.

According to him, the US is a "unreliable" country.

Future talks will take place in Pakistan "and not elsewhere," Moghadam said.

Previously, the US also said that the expected talks would likely be held in Islamabad.

Pakistan hosted the highest-level talks between the US and Iran since 1979 last weekend, which, however, did not produce any conclusions.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tahir Andrabi, said on Thursday (16/4), the US and Iran remain willing to engage as dialogue continues and encourage no speculation.

Andrabi said Iran's nuclear program was among the issues discussed in ongoing negotiations, which he described as "serious and constructive."

The head of the Pakistani Army, General Asim Munir, is currently visiting Iran to hold talks with Iranian leaders.

Pakistan hosted the negotiations after brokering a 14-day ceasefire between Washington and Tehran on April 8, the first time since the US and Israel launched a military offensive against Iran on February 28.