Pakistan says it will host US-Iran talks, while Iran warns US ground troops would be ‘set on fire’

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan announced Sunday that it will soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran, though there was no immediate word from the U.S. or Iran, and it was unclear whether the talks would be direct or indirect.

“Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the U.S. have expressed their confidence in Pakistan’s facilitation” of the talks, which will happen in the “coming days,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a televised speech after top diplomats from Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in Islamabad.

Dar said the ministers endorsed Pakistan’s peace efforts, and they are expected to meet again Monday to discuss ending the monthlong war. The foreign ministry did not answer questions about the announcement.

Pakistan has emerged as a mediator, having relatively good ties with both Washington and Tehran. Pakistani officials have said their public effort follows weeks of quiet diplomacy, while providing few details.

Meanwhile, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, dismissed the talks in Pakistan as a cover after some 2,500 U.S. Marines trained in amphibious landings arrived in the Middle East. He said Iranian forces were “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish ...