India, April 11 -- Uncertainty hangs over the format of high-stakes US-Iran talks set to take place in Pakistan, with conflicting reports on whether the negotiations will be direct or conducted through intermediaries.

While the talks are widely expected to be indirect, with the two sides seated in separate rooms and Islamabad officials shuttling proposals between them, as reported by news agency AFP, this remains just one of several possible formats.

According to a report in China state news agency Xinhua, Pakistan is prepared for either scenario - whether facilitating direct engagement or relaying messages between delegations, a source said.

This ambiguity deepened by a Dawn report, which said the talks will be the "first direct high-...