Pakistan readies for potential US-Iran peace talks as ceasefire deadline looms

Pakistan stepped up security measures in Islamabad's high-security Red Zone on Tuesday (April 21) as the South Asian nation prepares to host U.S. and Iranian delegates for a possible second round of peace talks, with a fragile ceasefire set to expire.

Armed rangers and police took up positions at checkpoints on roads leading to the Serena Hotel — the same venue where the first round of talks ended without a deal on April 12 — frisking passengers and stopping vehicles in and out of the restricted area.

The United States expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran would go ahead in Pakistan and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining, but significant hurdles and uncertainty remained as the end of a ceasefire approached.

U.S. President Donald Trump wants an agreement that would prevent further oil price rises and stock markets shocks but has insisted Iran cannot have the means to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran hopes to leverage its control of the Strait of Hormuz to strike a deal that averts a restart of the war, eases sanctions but does not impede its nuclear program.

A Pakistani source involved in the discussions said there was momentum for talks to recommence on Wednesday (April 22) and Trump could attend in person, or virtually, if a deal were to be signed.

-Arooba Charakla, Jacinta Goh/Reuters