"Iranians have never refused negotiations – they are ready to come"

A possible second round of direct negotiations between the United States and Iran collapsed yesterday. U.S. President Donald Trump then announced that he would &ldquo;extend&rdquo; the ceasefire until Tehran presents a &ldquo;unified proposal.&rdquo;The talks were supposed to take place in Islamabad after earlier negotiations this month failed to produce an agreement.Now that the negotiations are uncertain, Pakistan is making efforts to preserve the possibility of a diplomatic solution.&ldquo;We had everything ready. We were fully prepared for the talks, everything was set. Honestly, it was an unexpected setback because the Iranians have never refused to participate&mdash;they were ready to come and join, and they still are,&rdquo; an unnamed Pakistani official said, according to Reuters.The country&rsquo;s political and military leadership worked intensively yesterday to persuade the United States to extend the ceasefire, officials told the Associated Press.Meanwhile, efforts by both sides have continued over the past 24 hours to prevent a complete collapse of the negotiations, Iranian state media reported.In Pakistan&rsquo;s capital, police and the army remained on high alert today on major roads, maintaining checkpoints. Soldiers are patrolling along the Srinagar Highway in Islamabad.Residents have been forced to use longer routes as authorities restricted access to parts of the city.&ldquo;We have not received any instructions to remove these barricades,&rdquo; said police officer Mohammad Aslam, directing drivers to alternative routes.The British High Commissioner in Islamabad also met with Pakistan&rsquo;s foreign minister to discuss further developments.

"Iranians have never refused negotiations – they are ready to come"

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