WASHINGTON, MAR 25: The United States and Iran are expected to hold negotiations covering issues “broader in scope” in Islamabad this weekend, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday.
The nuclear watchdog chief said that the forthcoming discussions are expected to cover missiles, Iran-aligned militias and security guarantees for Tehran, Turkiye’s Anadolu Agency reported, citing Grossi’s interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
He added: “This time, there will also be missiles, militias allied with the Islamic Republic, security guarantees for Iran on the table.”
Grossi suggested that a temporary resolution could be achievable, stressing that military options should be avoided.
“There are alternative diplomatic plans that would allow both a solution that says that at the moment there will be no more enrichment because the political, military, and trust situation does not allow it; and, in principle, to reassess the issue in five or ten years’ time,” he added.
The remarks come amid efforts to open a window for diplomacy to end the nearly month-long war between the US, Israel, and Iran, which began on February 28 and has affected the broader Middle East.
Pakistan, working closely with Turkey and Egypt, has played a key role in back-channel diplomacy, relaying messages between Washington and Tehran to prevent further escalation and maintain regional stability.
These efforts included direct contact between Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir and US President Donald Trump on Sunday, confirmed by the White House.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also announced that Pakistan was ready to host talks between the US and Iran, a move acknowledged by President Trump, who reposted the statement on his Truth Social account.
Subsequently, Pakistan delivered a US proposal to Iran, a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Wednesday. The source did not reveal details of the proposal or confirm if it was the 15-point US framework reported by media outlets.
Turkey is also reportedly helping explore avenues to end the war, with either Pakistan or Turkey under consideration as the venue for talks, the source said.
In a latest development, Iran has rejected the US proposal, insisting it will end the ongoing “imposed war” on its own terms and timeline, a senior political-security official told Press TV.
The official compared the latest overture with two previous rounds of negotiations in spring and winter 2025, which were accompanied by US military operations, framing Tehran’s response as consistent with its longstanding caution.
Iran outlined five conditions for ending the war: a complete halt to “aggression and assassinations”; mechanisms to prevent the war from being reimposed; guaranteed payment of reparations; resolution across all fronts and resistance groups; and international recognition of Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.
