-- US equity indexes slipped ahead of Monday's close amid speculation that a second round of Iran talks will go ahead in Pakistan.
The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.5% to 24,344.1, with the S&P 500 down 0.3% to 7,101.5, after breaking records late last week when President Donald Trump talked up the likelihood of an Iran peace deal before the end of the current, two-week ceasefire on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1% to 49,378.5.
The US and Iran plan to hold peace talks in Islamabad this week, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. While Iran hasn't publicly confirmed that it would send representatives to the meetings in Pakistan, it has told regional mediators that it would send a team to negotiate, people familiar with the matter told the WSJ.
Pakistan is confident it can get Iran to attend talks with the US, Reuters reported Monday, citing a senior Pakistani government official.
"We have received a positive signal from Iran," the source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Things are fluid, but we are trying that they should be here when we start the talks tomorrow or a day after."
President Trump said he's not likely to extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran, increasing the urgency for negotiators to conclude a deal to end the war, Bloomberg reported Monday.