New Delhi, May 9: Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire between the United States and Iran are underway. US President Donald Trump has indicated that a response from Iran regarding the American proposal may arrive today. Meanwhile, American media reports suggest that talks between the US and Iran could take place in Pakistan early next week.
According to the Wall Street Journal, sources have indicated that discussions may resume in Islamabad next week. Both parties are reportedly working with mediators to prepare a one-page, 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at outlining a month-long negotiation process to end the conflict.
It is noteworthy that there have been two previous rounds of talks mediated by Pakistan, both of which ended in failure. The first round saw US Vice President J.D. Vance visiting Islamabad with a delegation, but it did not yield any results, leading to a second round of discussions. Unfortunately, no agreement was reached in that round either; however, a two-week ceasefire was implemented between the two nations.
Before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Trump told the media, “I am expecting a letter tonight. Let’s see what happens.” When asked if Tehran was deliberately slowing down the process, he replied, “We will know soon.”
The President hinted that if there are obstacles in the negotiations, Washington might adopt a tougher stance. He stated, “If things do not go well, we will take another route. If things are not right, we can revert to ‘Project Freedom,’ but it will be ‘Project Freedom Plus,’ meaning additional steps will be included.”
Trump also described the war in Ukraine as one of the most serious events since World War II and expressed his willingness to extend the current limited ceasefire. When questioned if the fighting could pause for more than three days, he responded, “It might. That would be good. I would like to see it stop.”