Pakistan preps Iran–US talks amid Tehran uncertainty

Police officers stand guard at a checkpoint ahead of the second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, yesterday [AP Photo]

Pakistan pressed ahead yesterday with the groundwork for a second round of talks between Iran and the United States in Islamabad as a fragile ceasefire hung in the balance, even though it remained unclear whether Tehran would send a delegation.

Both sides remain dug in rhetorically, with U.S. President Donald Trump warning that “lots of bombs” will “start going off” if there’s no agreement before the ceasefire deadline, which he put as Wednesday, and Iran’s chief negotiator saying that Tehran has “new cards on the battlefield” that haven’t yet been revealed.

The two-week ceasefire began on April 8, and seemed likely to be extended if talks resume as planned. White House officials have said that U.S. Vice President JD Vance would lead the American delegation, but Iran hasn’t said who it might send, and Iranian state television yesterday broadcast a message saying that “no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad… so far.”

Iranian state TV long has been controlled by hard-liners within Iran’s theocracy, and the on-screen alert likely reflects the ongoing internal debate within Iran’s theocracy as it weighs how to respond to the U.S. Navy’s seizure of an Iranian container ship over the weekend.

Hormuz control key to negotiations

The U.S. has instituted a blockade of Iranian ports to pressure Tehran into ending its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane through which 20% of the world’s natural gas and crude oil transits in peacetime.

Iran’s iron grip on the strait has sent oil prices soaring, and Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at close to $95 per barrel yesterday, up more than 30% from Feb. 28, the day that Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran to start the war.

Before the war began, the Strait of Hormuz had been fully open to international shipping, and Trump has demanded that vessels again be allowed to transit unimpeded through the waterway.

European Union transportation ministers were meeting in Brussels yesterday to discuss how to protect consumers after the head of the International Energy Agency warned that Europe has “ maybe six weeks “ of jet fuel supplies remaining.

Over the weekend, Iran said that it had received new proposals from Washington, but also suggested that a wide gap remains between the sides. Issues that derailed the last round of negotiations included Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, its regional proxies and the strait.

Iran’s chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker, Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, accused the United States of wanting Iran to surrender and said that on the contrary, Iran has been preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”

“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” Qalibaf wrote in an X post.

Pakistan hopeful talks will proceed

Despite the rhetorical skirmishing between the two sides, Pakistani officials have expressed confidence that Iran will also send a delegation late yesterday so that the talks could resume.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar yesterday spoke with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, to discuss the latest regional developments, as part of diplomatic preparations before the planned talks, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.

Dar also met with the ambassador from China, which is a key trading partner with Iran, as the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said that the conflict was at a “critical stage of transition between war and peace.”

“At such a moment, it is all the more necessary for all parties to show the utmost sincerity, remain committed to a political solution, maintain the momentum of the ceasefire and negotiations,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

Security has been tightened across Pakistan’s capital, where authorities have deployed thousands of personnel and increased patrols along routes leading to the airport.

The arrangements appear stricter than those put in place during the first round of talks held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, suggesting the possibility of high-level participation, if negotiations make progress, said Syed Mohammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security analyst.

“Pakistan appears to be preparing for the possibility of visits by top U.S. and Iranian leaders if the talks advance to a stage where an agreement could be signed,” he told The Associated Press.

Historic Israel-Lebanon talks

Meanwhile, historic diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon were set to resume on Thursday in Washington, an Israeli, a Lebanese and a U.S. official said. All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the behind-the-scenes negotiations.

The Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors met last week for the first direct diplomatic talks in decades. Israel says the talks are aimed at disarming Hezbollah and reaching a peace agreement with Lebanon. MUNIR AHMED, ISLAMABAD, MDT/AP