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Iranian media reported Saturday evening (Pakistan time) that negotiations between Iran and the US had begun in Islamabad. According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, key aspects of the negotiations include the implementation of a ceasefire in Lebanon, the release of Iranian assets by the American side, and the “need for more detailed expert and technical discussions” in this regard, in addition to discussions on the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran believes that the ceasefire in Lebanon has not yet been fully implemented and that the United States has a duty to hold Israel to this commitment. The Iranian delegation is pursuing this issue seriously through the Pakistani mediator and also in the discussion room,” the news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref warned Saturday that there would be no deal if the United States prioritises Israel’s interests in the negotiations in Pakistan.
“If we face representatives of ‘Israel First,’ there will be no deal; we will inevitably continue our defence even more vigorously than before, and the world will face greater costs,” he wrote in a post on social media platform X, adding that “an agreement beneficial to both sides and the world is probable” if otherwise.
The remarks came as an Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and a US group led by Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, for negotiations to end the Middle East conflict.
On February 28, Israel and the United States conducted coordinated strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, murdering Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as senior military officers and civilians. Iran retaliated by unleashing a wave of missile and drone strikes on Israel and US interests in the Middle East, as well as tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz.
A two-week cease-fire between Iran and the United States went into effect on Wednesday. Yet Israel has said the ceasefire does not cover the conflict in Lebanon, and carried out its largest single-day attack on Lebanon on Wednesday, killing more than 300 and injured over 1,100, Xinhua news agency reported.
On Friday, Qalibaf demanded a cease-fire in Lebanon and the return of Iran’s frozen assets before beginning negotiations with the US.
Earlier on Saturday, Tasnim news agency reported that Washington had agreed to unfreeze Iranian assets, and that the Iranian mission in Pakistan was verifying the situation. However, several media sources, citing an unnamed US senior official, contradicted the allegation.
Source: IANS
