ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday rejected reports that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar shared any information about Iran's nuclear programme with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during their recent meeting in Washington.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi was asked about reports that Dar, who is also the foreign minister, shared Iran's nuclear information with Rubio during their meeting on May 29.
Pakistan rejected reports of the deputy premier “exchanging any kind of information about Iran’s nuclear programme,” Andrabi said.
"No such information was shared," he added.Former Central Intelligence Agency analyst Larry Johnson, quoting an unnamed source, claimed that Dar had a conversation with Rubio that “revealed what Iran is prepared to do to preserve its independence”, which allegedly “alarmed” the top US diplomat.
Dar’s meeting with Rubio during his brief visit to Washington came days after the Quad foreign ministerial meeting in New Delhi.
After their meeting, Rubio said the two sides agreed upon the importance of working together to further strengthen a meaningful partnership for better security and more prosperity for our two nations.
The two sides agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, security, and counter-terrorism, the Pakistan Foreign Office said.
The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28. The conflict was halted when a ceasefire was brokered on April 8. Since then, the two sides have been exchanging messages through Pakistan for peace talks.
In April, Pakistan hosted the first direct talks between the US and Iran, but the two countries failed to reach a deal.