TEHRAN: Iran's foreign ministry said no one had held any expectation that talks with the United States could have reached an agreement within one session after the marathon negotiations in Islamabad stalled on Sunday (Apr 12).

"Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session. No one had such an expectation," ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

He added Tehran was "confident that contacts between us and Pakistan, as well as our other friends in the region, will continue".

Pakistan's foreign minister urged Washington and Tehran to uphold a ceasefire after talks to end the Middle East war ended without a deal.

"It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire," said Ishaq Dar, whose government hosted the talks and acted as a mediator.

"Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagement and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come," he said in a brief statement broadcast by state media. 

The US had said on Tuesday it would pause attacks with Israel for two weeks pending negotiations.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also called for a continuation of the Middle East ceasefire, saying: "The priority now must be to continue the ceasefire and return to negotiations." 

She added it was "disappointing that the Islamabad talks between the United States and Iran have ended without agreement".