‘Never refused to go to Pak for talks’

HOPE FLOATS | Iran’s position is being misrepresented by US media: Araghchi

World Desk Mumbai

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Iran “never refused” to attend talks in Pakistan to end the war. He added his country wanted “conclusive and lasting” terms to end the conflict.

In a post on X, Araghchi said: “Iran’s position is being misrepresented by US media. We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad. What we care ab­o­ut are the terms of a conclusi­ve and lasting end to the ill­e­gal war that is imposed on us.”

While Araghchi blames the US media for apparently misreporting Iran’s willingness to engage in negotiations, Iran­ian news agencies reported that Tehran refused talks with Washington. Iranian officials previously accused the US of using talks as a ruse to launch more attacks.

Pak rejects reports of initiative collapse

Pakistan on Saturday rejected media reports that its initiative to facilitate talks between the US and Iran to end the conflict in West Asia had hit obstacles after the initial exchange of peace proposals.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi rejected the media reports as “baseless” and a “figment of imagination”. “We have noted several reports in the media, including on social media, citing so-called official government sources regarding the ongoing conflict in the region and Pakistan's efforts to promote peace and dialogue.”

He said that it was a matter of concern that the briefing held on Friday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been “misrepresented”.