Iran mediators to meet in Egypt on June 21

CAIRO – Mediators in the US-Iran conflict, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, are due to gather for talks in Egypt on June 21, Cairo and Islamabad said.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on June 19 that the four-way meeting would bring together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt to “discuss regional developments and exchange views on issues related to peace, security and stability”.

Egypt’s foreign ministry said late on June 18 that the meeting would be followed by expanded talks and a joint news conference.

The ministry initially said the meeting would be held in the Egyptian resort of El Alamein, before updating the location to Cairo.

The four foreign ministers last met in April on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in the Turkish resort city of Antalya.

The Cairo meeting comes after US-Iran talks scheduled in Switzerland for June 19, aimed at following up on the agreement to end the war, were postponed, according to the Swiss foreign ministry.

The White House confirmed that US Vice-President J.D. Vance’s planned trip to Switzerland for the talks had been cancelled.

The deal, signed this week by President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, aims to end a conflict that began on Feb 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

It also provides for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the launch of a 60-day negotiation period on broader issues, including Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The agreement was also meant to halt fighting in Lebanon, but some clashes have since broken out between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters. AFP