Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to arrive in Islamabad on the evening of April 24, Pakistani diplomatic sources confirmed, raising cautious hopes that a second round of US-Iran peace talks could be salvaged after the previous negotiations collapsed.

The visit, which had been anticipated for days, is seen as a critical test of whether the fragile ceasefire can be transformed into a more durable political settlement. Araghchi’s delegation is expected to hold talks with Pakistani leadership, including Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

While Iranian state media has publicly maintained that the primary purpose of the trip is bilateral consultations rather than direct negotiations with the United States, US military and diplomatic assets have been present in Islamabad awaiting a potential breakthrough. The US has kept a logistics team in the city to be prepared should talks resume. The imminent arrival also follows a high-level telephone conversation between the Iranian foreign minister and Pakistan’s military leadership.

An adviser close to the negotiations had earlier downplayed the prospects of a breakthrough, telling reporters that a substantive agreement was “still weeks, if not months” away. However, the confidence-building measure of sending a high-ranking official to the negotiating hub indicates that Tehran is not slamming the door on talks.

The first round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad on April 11 and 12 lasted over 20 hours but ended without any formal agreement. The resumption of talks has been stalled by a series of conditions including Iran’s demand that the US lift its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — a demand Washington has so far refused.