Pakistani leaders working the phones in bid to salvage second round of talks

[0:00] In a few moments, we'll get an update from Al Jazeera's Ali Hashim, who's live for us in Tehran. [0:05] But first, let's go to the Pakistani capital Islamabad. [0:08] That's where Osama bin Javed is standing by for us. [0:12] Osama, when we spoke earlier, the Pakistanis were very tight-lipped as to where this is going. [0:19] Do we have any sense from your contacts and who you've been speaking to where Pakistan is at the moment when it comes to trying to bring both to the table? [0:28] Well, sir, I can confirm now after speaking to sources that there are last-ditch efforts underway to try and salvage the second round of talks, [0:42] which has not taken place despite all that we've heard in the last 48 hours. [0:46] We believe that the Pakistani civilian and military leadership are jointly working the phones, talking to all sides, [0:54] appealing to them about maintaining the status quo, which is the ceasefire which came into effect after the Pakistanis [1:02] announced it just two weeks ago. [1:04] We've heard from sources that it is not just the Pakistani leadership who's making those calls. [1:09] All other partners involved in this are also exerting their spheres of influence to try and get the United States [1:16] and Iran to come back to the negotiating table. [1:20] This has been ongoing in the last few hours, as we've heard from the Pakistani information minister, [1:27] that it is just about now four hours to go before this looming deadline of the ceasefire expiry. [1:35] And you've heard from Donald Trump just before the ceasefire came into effect, [1:39] just hours after that this was going to take place, the second round, [1:44] that he's been reiterating those threats about what he's going to hit in Iran. [1:48] So a lot at stake, the federal capital waiting with a bated breath. [1:55] There have been extraordinary security arrangements which have been made here. [1:59] The red zone has been expanded. [2:01] The Pakistani officials in the last day have been making back and forth calls, [2:06] the interior minister to the Iranian and the U.S. embassy, [2:09] the foreign minister inviting the U.S. charge of the affairs, [2:12] and extending that formal request to extend the ceasefire, [2:16] because unless that, the other option is dire. [2:21] All right, Salah bin Javed, we are also wondering whether we've heard from the White House, [2:31] because there seems to have been quite a lot of drama happening there in the last 24 hours. [2:36] What do you know? [2:41] Well, there has been mixed signals coming out of Washington, D.C. [2:45] as you've been hearing the U.S. president make all sorts of statements. [2:50] And to bring that all in, I'm joined by our senior White House correspondent, Kimberly Hackett. [2:54] Kimberly, you've been monitoring this very closely, [2:56] as we've been seeing the White House explain, re-explain, [3:01] and then change positions on various issues. [3:04] Can you bring us up to speed on what we are hearing? [3:06] Because we believe that the trip by J.D. Vance has probably been postponed indefinitely. [3:12] Although the White House says that things could change at any time. [3:15] But, look, the last 24 hours, there's no question that there has been a lot of mixed messaging coming out of the White House. [3:22] We heard the U.S. president give an interview to the New York Post, [3:25] saying the vice president was en route and that he was going to land in Islamabad imminently, [3:31] only for the White House to have to do cleanup on that and say, actually, no, they haven't left yet. [3:36] And what we've seen is, as the U.S. president was saying, look at, nobody's playing games. [3:42] I will even meet with senior Iranian leaders if there's a breakthrough deal. [3:46] He was then also giving an interview to the PBS news outlet in the United States, [3:51] saying, look, if there's no deal, bombs will start going off. [3:55] So we started to get a signal that the United States was dragging its feet [4:00] because we know the big condition on the part of the Iranians was to open the Strait of Hormuz. [4:06] And the U.S. president said on Tuesday he thinks the blockade is working really well [4:10] and that they're in a very strong position, which meant they weren't going to do what the Iranians needed them to do [4:16] in order to get to direct talks here in Islamabad. [4:20] Well, what the Iranians have been saying is that what they're seeing on the ground [4:23] is quite different to the words that they're hearing from the White House. [4:27] It has an extraordinary built-up of U.S. forces in the Middle East [4:31] with at least three strike groups already in place. [4:35] So if these talks do not work out as the Pakistanis are pushing for, [4:40] there's a lot at stake here, isn't it? [4:41] There's a lot at stake, but it's not, diplomacy's not dead. [4:47] As you've been pointing out, we know that the U.S. vice president's plane did not take off en route to Islamabad. [4:55] But what we do know is that the Middle East envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Whitcoff, [5:00] were set to fly from Florida to Europe and then to Islamabad. [5:04] Instead, they flew to Washington. [5:05] And now we know that there are discussions underway at the White House on next steps. [5:11] And again, the White House has been very clear. [5:13] Our sources here at the U.S. embassy are telling us we have not had an official cancellation just yet. [5:19] But to your point about the military build-up, [5:22] there has been speculation all the way along that the United States has never had any desire [5:27] for a second round of talks. [5:29] We heard J.D. Vance when he left after the first round saying that that was the best and final offer [5:33] and that this has just been a pause to allow the military to rearm. [5:38] In fact, the U.S. president saying just that in an interview, [5:41] saying that he believes that, you know, the best position is the one that the United States is in right now [5:48] and the military is ready to go. [5:50] Kimberly Harkat there. [5:51] Thank you very much for the White House perspective. [5:53] And here in Islamabad, I can say that, as Tim Kimberly just pointed out, [5:57] that, yes, the clock is ticking. [5:59] Time is running out. [6:00] The Iranians haven't confirmed. [6:02] The Americans are poised to go back to fight. [6:04] But what we're hearing from the mediators is that diplomacy is not dead. [6:08] The chairs are still being pulled out of the table. [6:11] The door is open. [6:12] They just have to say yes. [6:13] All right. [6:14] Thank you very much. [6:15] Osama bin Javed there and Kimberly Harkat, [6:17] our White House correspondent, [6:18] both reporting for us from Islamabad.