A new round of indirect US-Iran negotiations is expected to take place on 11 July in Islamabad, with both Pakistani and Qatari mediators facilitating the talks. According to Pakistani daily Dawn and Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, the agenda will cover US sanctions against Iran, the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad, and Tehran’s nuclear programme. The meeting follows a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on 18 June, which established a 60-day framework for reaching a broader agreement. The MoU, concluded after nearly two months of indirect contacts through Islamabad and Doha, reportedly includes as its first clause a commitment to ending hostilities, particularly on the Lebanon front.

The Islamabad meeting continues technical-level negotiations held on 21 June at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, where both sides agreed on procedural steps and began discussing implementation mechanisms for the MoU. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, who chaired that round, confirmed that understandings had been reached on the modalities of future talks. In the same period, Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic, though requiring vessels to obtain Iranian authorisation and use designated routes. Diplomatic sources cited by Dawn note that Islamabad has emerged as the most likely venue, while the Swiss resort remains an alternative. The next round is intended to advance technical details before higher-level direct discussions pencilled for late July in Doha.

Iran has yet to finalise its negotiating team. Arab media reports, amplified by Iranian news outlets, claim that the composition and leadership of the delegation will be announced after the state funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His burial ceremonies, which began on 5 July in Tehran and Qom, are due to conclude in Mashhad on 9 July. According to international media accounts, Khamenei was killed on 28 February in the opening day of joint US-Israeli air strikes on Tehran. Al Arabiya reported that the Iranian team may include Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, although Iranian officials have not confirmed this.

Viewed from Washington, President Donald Trump described the previous indirect contacts in Doha as “very good”, but US officials reportedly disputed Iranian assertions that an understanding had been reached on the partial unfreezing of billions of dollars in assets. No American confirmation of the 11 July date or venue has been issued. Pakistani and Qatari mediators have continued shuttle diplomacy ahead of the meeting, with discussions focused on maintaining freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and preserving the 60-day ceasefire in Lebanon. According to regional media, the talks are part of a push to de-escalate tensions that had flared into direct military exchanges earlier this year. A high-level plenary is provisionally scheduled for the third week of July in Doha, dependent on the progress of technical negotiations.