German foreign minister hopes Iran peace talks given chance to work

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's pursuit of negotiations to end the war with Iran and said he hoped the talks would be given a chance to succeed.

"It is commendable that the U.S. President has postponed his ultimatum to the Iranian regime for a few days and is now seeking negotiations," Wadephul said alongside his Tunisian counterpart Mohamed Ali Nafti in Berlin.

"Iran's regime would be well-advised to respond to this now. So, if there is a window of opportunity for diplomacy, we should definitely give talks a chance."

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday that Pakistan has delivered a proposal from the U.S. to Iran, and either Pakistan or Turkey could be venues for discussions to de-escalate the war in the Gulf.

The comments, on condition of anonymity, were among rare signs that Tehran might consider diplomatic proposals, despite insisting in public that no talks were under way and it would make no deal with the Trump administration.

"We must, of course, wait and see what these talks in Pakistan, in which we are not participating but which are now apparently taking place, will yield, which is certainly welcome," Wadephul said.

-Reporting by Matthias Williams, editing by Thomas Seythal/Reuters