Iran's FM Araghchi calls his Islamabad visit 'successful' after arriving in Russia

MOSCOW: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, after arrival in Russia on Monday, said that his trip to Islamabad was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's top leadership, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.

Aragchi arrived in Russia after his second visit to Islamabad in the last three days, where he met with Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Sunday evening.

"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.

Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."

"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.

Araghchi said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”

Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian president was scheduled to meet with the Iranian minister. The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict. The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after visiting Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict. After Araghchi left for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter. Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict. On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire. The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.