A diplomatic source in Islamabad has told Al Jazeera that Pakistan is making high-level efforts to facilitate direct talks between the United States and Iran in the capital. According to the report, the talks are expected to begin either with a handshake between the heads of the two delegations or with a Pakistani official acting as a mediator. Under the proposed framework, the Iranian delegation would first meet with Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, after which the U.S. delegation would join the discussions. The report added that, if agreed, direct talks are expected to begin at 4:00 p.m. Afghanistan time and continue into the evening. It also noted that if efforts to hold direct talks fail, discussions would proceed indirectly and last for only one day.
