Islamabad hotels, transportation close Sunday as city braces for possible round two of negotiations

ISLAMABAD — Major hotels are sold out for reservations this week and some transportation and other services have shut down in and near Pakistan’s capital city on Sunday, as the world waits in hope for a successful second round of peace talks between Iran and the US to take place.Islamabad Police on Sunday announced that traffic routes had been altered in preparation for the arrival of unnamed official delegations — with the city shutting down all streets near where the last round of in-person peace talks took place last weekend.“Due to the arrival of foreign delegations in Islamabad, Red Zone and Extended Red Zone will remain completely closed for all kinds of traffic,” it said in a post to X.“Citizens are advised to use alternate routes and cooperate with traffic police to ensure smooth flow and security.”Neither the US or Iran — nor mediator Pakistan — have publicly confirmed that Washington and Tehran will again meet for further peace talks to end the seven-week-long war, but the signs of an impending gathering are stacking up.All rooms at Islamabad’s luxury Movenpick, which hosted hundreds of local and international journalists during last weekend’s talks, had no rooms available in the coming days.

And the city’s Serena Hotel — home to the US-Iran negotiations — is no longer taking reservations.Additionally, current guests at the Serena and Marriott Hotel in Islamabad were asked to find alternative accommodations beginning Sunday night.What’s more, the city of Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi announced on Sunday that they were shutting down some forms of transportation for the foreseeable future.“Heavy transport and public transport in the city are being suspended until further orders,” Islamabad’s district administration announced in a post to X.“Citizens are earnestly requested to cooperate with the security agencies.

Thank you.”While the Pakistani government has been passing messages between Washington and Tehran sin...