Iran shows willingness to return to negotiating table

Iran shows willingness to return to negotiating table

• Naqvi meets Pezeshkian, Momeni to ‘discuss mediation process’ • Iran ‘grateful’ to Pakistan’s political, military leadership for peace efforts • US refuses visas to some members of Iranian president’s delegation • Second Qatari LNG cargo ship ‘cleared by Iranians’ due today ISLAMABAD: Iran on Monday indicated its willingness to return to dialogue with the United States to de-escalate tensions. The flexibility on the issue was indicated by the Iranian side during a meeting between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is in the Iranian capital in an attempt to revive the stalled diplomatic process between Washington and Tehran. “Yes, there was progress during the meeting,” a source told Dawn. Mr Naqvi, who arrived in Tehran on Monday, was received by his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni. “We had discussions on the mediation process,” Mr Naqvi said while talking to media in the presence of his Iranian counterpart. During the meeting, Mr Momeni said Iran was thankful to Pakistan’s political and military leadership for its efforts for regional peace and stability. “We are grateful to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir for their efforts for regional peace,” the Iranian minister was quoted as saying in a statement issued here by the interior ministry. The visit comes at a time when diplomatic activity has intensified to prevent another round of escalation between Iran and US, with both Qatar and Pakistan maintaining contacts with the two sides. Qatar has in recent we­­eks emerged as a key channel between Wa­­sh­ing­ton and Tehran. Its foreign ministry said on Monday that its mediation team had been exchanging ideas with both sides for nearly two weeks in an effort to bridge differences and find a suitable moment to resume negotiations. Iran relays conditions for talks Iran has conveyed through Qatar a set of conditions for reopening talks, including an end to fighting on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to the US naval blockade. Iranian officials said seven conditions were conveyed, although all of them were not publicly disclosed. The latest diplomatic activity follows the collapse of the 14 point Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding brokered by Pakistan on June 17. The conflict has since continued with sporadic strikes and a US naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has maintained control over traffic through the strategic waterway. Pakistan, meanwhile, has remained engaged in efforts to keep the diplomatic channel open. Field Marshal Asim Munir has used his contacts with the US administration while Pakistani officials have made repeated visits to Tehran. The latest visit also carries significance ahead of Mr Pezeshkian’s travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. The Iranian president is expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UNGA in the coming days. The meeting could provide another opportunity for the two leaders to discuss the stalled peace process. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has given mixed signals on the prospects of renewed negotiations, while Ira­nian officials have continued to combine their readiness for diplomacy with warnings of a strong response to any fresh US military action. The possibility of renewed diplomacy is also being backed by developments around the Strait of Hormuz, where Pakistan has quietly secured the passage of another Qatari liquefied natural gas shipment after negotiations with Iran. The shipment crossed the strait over the weekend and is expected to reach Pakistan’s LNG import facility by Tuesday, making it the second Qatari LNG cargo to reach Pakistan this month through an understanding with Iran. No visa from US Separately, the US refu­sed to issue visas to members of President Pezesh­kian’s delegation, including his communications team, for his trip to the UN General Assembly, Iranian state media reported. President Peze­shkian will be the highest-ranking Iranian official to enter the United States since the Middle East war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, part of the delegation to the UN, left Iran on Sunday evening for a stopover in Qatar. Foreign ministry spok­esman Esmaeil Baqaei accused the Trump administration of “trampling on the right of access to information”, pointing to its recent move to bar three major US media outlets from the White House over objections to their coverage. “When an administration slams its doors shut — even on American journalists it happens to dislike — and bars foreign reporters, including the Iranian president’s media team, whose voices it would rather silence, it is not managing access; it is trying to hide the truth,” Baqaei said on X. Iranian airlines to be ‘shut down’ from tomorrow US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that Iranian airlines will have trouble functioning globally in two days under the weight of American sanctions. On Sept 23, “all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world,” Bessent told CNBC in an interview as the war launched by the United States and Israel nears the seven-month mark. “If they land, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets or you will be knocked out of the dollar system,” he added.Two Iraqi sources told AFP on Monday that Baghdad would suspend flights by Iranian airlines following the US Treasury’s announcement. Georgia also barred Iranian carriers from its land, while Iranian airline Mahan said it suspended service to Turkiye at the re­­quest of the Turkish government. Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026