Continued progress in contacts between Iran and the U.S.; or the second in-person talks were held on the 16th in Islamabad

Gate News update: On April 13, both CBS and NBC in the United States cited information from U.S. officials saying that contact between the U.S. and Iran is still ongoing and that it is “making progress in working toward an agreement.” CNN, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that U.S. government officials are internally discussing details related to holding a second in-person round of talks before the expiration of the U.S.-Iran interim ceasefire agreement. Whether the talks can go ahead will depend on whether communications among the parties in the coming days make progress; officials are discussing potential dates and locations for the meeting. The report also said that a “regional source” disclosed that before Pakistan’s Islamabad was ultimately agreed as the location for the last round of negotiations, several alternative locations had been proposed, including Geneva, Switzerland; Vienna, Austria; and Istanbul, Turkey. At present, Geneva and Islamabad are again under consideration. According to people familiar with the matter, depending on how exchanges among the parties develop in the coming days, the United States and Iran may also extend the ceasefire by two weeks to allow more time for negotiations. Separately, on April 13, RIA Novosti cited a message on social media from a reporter of The Atlantic magazine, saying that the next round of “direct talks” between the United States and Iran could be held in Islamabad on the 16th.