Pakistan offers to host Iran talks

Pakistan said on Sunday it was ready to host the next round of Iran-U.S. peace talks, adding to a diplomatic push around a proposed 60-day arrangement that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend a fragile ceasefire. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad hoped to host the talks “very soon,” while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an announcement on the Iran war could come later in the day. (france24.com) President Donald Trump said on May 23 that a deal was “largely negotiated,” though neither Washington nor Tehran had published a final text as of May 24. Reports on the draft say it would pair a temporary ceasefire with steps on shipping, oil exports and further nuclear talks. (aninews.in) ### Why is Pakistan suddenly at the center of these talks? Shehbaz Sharif said on May 24 that Pakistan hoped to host the next round of talks between Iran and the United States, a public sign that Islamabad is trying to formalize a mediating role it has been building for weeks. France 24 and Al Arabiya both reported Sharif’s offer, describing Pakistan as positioning itself as a venue for the next phase of diplomacy. Reuters reported on May 21 that Pakistan had already stepped up efforts to hasten talks, with Tehran reviewing Washington’s latest responses while Trump warned he could resume attacks if he did not get what he called “the right answers.” That placed Pakistan between a live military threat and an unfinished negotiation, rather than in a conventional conference-host role. (france24.com) ### What are U.S. officials saying could happen on Sunday? Marco Rubio said in New Delhi on Sunday that there was “the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news,” according to reports citing his remarks to reporters. (france24.com) France 24 and The Hindu both said Rubio linked that possibility to the Iran war. Donald Trump said on May 23 that an agreement had been “largely negotiated” and would be announced shortly, according to reports from CNBC and the New York Times. The Times said, however, that neither side had released many details of the proposal, leaving key terms unconfirmed in public. (english.alarabiya.net) ### What is in the reported 60-day memorandum? Axios-cited reports published on May 24 said the draft would take the form of a 60-day memorandum of understanding. Those reports said Iran would clear naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, shipping would resume, some restrictions on Iranian oil sales would ease, and the two sides would continue talks on Tehran’s nuclear program during the 60-day period. (france24.com) The Strait of Hormuz is the most concrete operational issue in the draft now being described publicly. CNBC reported that the war had choked energy markets and that the proposed deal would reopen the waterway, while other accounts said the draft contemplated passage without tolls. (cnbc.com) ### Is there agreement on the Strait of Hormuz terms? Fars, cited by Reuters and other outlets on May 24, disputed Trump’s description of how the strait would operate under any agreement. Reports summarizing the Iranian account said Tehran would manage the Strait of Hormuz and that Trump’s assertion about reopening terms was “inconsistent with reality.” (aninews.in) That dispute matters because the draft’s shipping provisions are one of the few elements described in detail across multiple reports. Public differences over the strait suggest that even if a framework is close, the parties may still be contesting how its most market-sensitive terms are presented. (cnbc.com) That is an inference from the competing public accounts. ### What happens next if no final text is released Sunday? May 24 is the date U.S. officials have pointed to for a possible announcement, but the next concrete milestone appears to be another round of talks hosted by Pakistan if the parties do not publish a final agreement first. (rappler.com) Sharif said Pakistan was prepared to host that round “very soon.” The draft under discussion is described as a 60-day arrangement rather than a permanent settlement, with nuclear negotiations expected to continue during that period. That means the next named participants to watch are Sharif, Rubio, Trump and Iranian negotiators working on the memorandum’s final terms and any follow-on meeting in Pakistan. (aninews.in) (france24.com)