Washington’s harsh demands and Tehran’s intransigence threaten to derail the Iran peace process

The ceasefire between Iran and the United States expires on April 21. It remains unclear whether it will be extended or whether the Middle East will once again become the scene of military operations.

Islamabad, which, thanks to its skillful diplomacy, managed to host the first, albeit unfinished, direct meeting between US and Iranian negotiators on April 11-12, has taken new steps to bring the US and Iran closer together in order to reach an agreement on resolving the military conflict. Although he has not yet succeeded in persuading the parties to abandon their maximalist positions on a number of fundamental disagreements and move toward mutually acceptable compromise solutions, Pakistani leaders have not abandoned attempts to hold a second decisive US-Iranian meeting aimed at laying the foundations for a political settlement of the conflict.

Islamabad is Persistent

Pakistan’s leadership must be commended for not giving up after the failed negotiations between US and Iranian delegations on April 11-12, 2026, in Islamabad, when the parties failed to agree on key points of an agreement that would have led to de-escalation of the conflict and normalization of the situation. The parties’ unwillingness to make concessions and reach compromise solutions on fundamental settlement issues, as well as a lack of mutual trust and understanding, doomed the first round of talks........

© New Eastern Outlook