Technical talks between U.S. and Iran likely to continue next week, Pakistan says

Talks between the U.S. and Iran will likely continue next week, a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

“Talks are continuing. I believe that the talks will resume next week, probably on Tuesday,” Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad, adding that a current pause in the negotiations was, “a temporary gap, and it is not as such a break.”

“The fact that the talks are continuing — the parties are on the table — is a significant positive outcome. We certainly view it very positively,” he said.

Pakistan was the primary mediator behind the direct, high-level talks between the U.S. and Iran that began Sunday in Switzerland. That first 18-hour meeting was followed by more in-depth negotiations between lower level officials, described as “technical talks.”

The negotiations, aimed at reaching a much broader deal to end the Iran war, were sparked by the memorandum of understanding signed last week by the U.S. and Iran, which calls for 60 days of talks on issues including Iran’s nuclear program, the dropping of U.S. and international sanctions against the country, and the un-freezing of billions of dollars of Iranian financial assets.

Qatari officials have also acted as mediators between the two sides.