Negotiating teams from the US and Iran could return to Islamabad this week, four sources said on Tuesday, days after the highest-level talks between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ended in the Pakistani capital without a breakthrough.
A source involved in the talks said a date was not yet decided, but both countries could return as early as the end of this week.
"No firm date has been set, with the delegations keeping Friday through Sunday open," a senior Iranian source said.
The weekend meeting in Pakistan's capital to resolve the conflict between the US and Iran, held four days after last Tuesday's ceasefire announcement, was the first direct encounter between US and Iranian officials in more than a decade, and the most senior engagement since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
A proposal has been shared with both the US and Iran to resend their delegates to resume the talks, the first source said.
Two Pakistani sources with knowledge of the talks said Islamabad was communicating with the two sides about the timing of the next round and the meeting would likely take place on the weekend.
"We have reached out to Iran and we got a positive response that they will be open to a second round of talks," a senior Pakistani government official said.
Pakistan's foreign ministry, military and prime minister's office did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
However, An Iranian embassy official in Pakistan did confirmed to Reuters that a second round of talks was being discussed.
The White House also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump said Iran had called that morning and that "they'd like to work a deal." Reuters could not immediately verify the assertion.
Previous peace talks
US Vice President JD Vance said that the previous peace talks between the US and Iran, which took place over the weekend, had ended as a result of the Iranian team’s lack of approval to cut a deal, and that it’s up to Iran to take the next step in negotiations on Monday evening.
Among the slew of issues at stake last weekend was the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit point for global energy supplies that Iran has effectively blocked, but the US has vowed to reopen, as well as Iran's nuclear program and international sanctions on Tehran.
During the negotiations, the US made clear that it would need to take possession of the enriched uranium Iran has in its possession, and that mechanisms would need to be put in place to ensure that Iran would be unable to enrich uranium again, Vance said.
“Those are really the two things where, frankly, the Iranians, I think, did make some progress,” Vance said.
Vance also said, regarding the Strait of Hormuz, “It was one of the things where the Iranians tried to move the goalposts during the negotiation.”
A US source said the Iranians did not properly understand that the core US aim was to have a deal that ensured Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon. Among Iran's concerns was a distrust of US intentions.
"There was a strong hope in the middle of the talks that there would be a breakthrough and the two sides would reach an agreement. However, things changed within no time," a Pakistani government source said.
Another source involved in the talks said the parties came "very close" to an agreement and were "80% there" before running into decisions that could not be settled on the spot.
Iranian President and Macron discuss US-Iran talks
On Tuesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed the upcoming talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. Pezeshkian remarked that a lack of goodwill and maximalist positions from the United States prevented the finalization of an agreement in Islamabad, according to an IRNA report.
He went on to emphasize that diplomacy is the preferred method for resolving disputes between the two countries. He asserted that 'threats, pressure, and military action will only exacerbate the United States' self-made problems in the region.'
Additionally, he suggested to Macron that Europe could play a constructive role in encouraging the United States to 'adhere to international law.'
Danya Saperstein contributed to this report.