10.04.2026 23:31
Following the declared ceasefire between the United States, Israel, and Iran, attention has turned to the negotiation process planned to take place in Pakistan. As the U.S. delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance heads to Islamabad, the Iranian delegation, headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has also arrived in the city. It has been reported that the U.S. side will begin talks if Iran's preconditions for the start of negotiations are accepted.
After the declared ceasefire between the US and Israel and Iran, attention turned to the negotiation process planned to take place in Pakistan.
IRANIAN DELEGATION IN ISLAMABAD While uncertainty continues regarding the ceasefire talks between Iran and the US, Iranian state television announced that the negotiation delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf has arrived in Islamabad for planned talks with the US. The delegation reportedly includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the representative of Iran's religious leader Mojtaba Khamenei in the Defense Council, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolnaser Hemmati, and several members of parliament. The report also stated that the delegation, consisting of security, political, military, economic, and legal committees, would begin talks with the US side if the preconditions proposed by Iran for the start of negotiations are accepted.
TWO CONDITIONS SET Before departing for Islamabad, Qalibaf stated the conditions for his country's participation in the talks in a message shared on social media. Qalibaf noted that the two conditions mutually agreed upon for the initiation of talks between the parties have not yet been fulfilled, stating, "A ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets must be fulfilled before the start of negotiations."
US DELEGATION HAS DEPARTED: IF THEY TRY TO STALL US, THEY WILL SEE THAT OUR NEGOTIATION TEAM WILL NOT BE VERY WARM TO THIS The US delegation has also departed for Pakistan. US Vice President J. D. Vance made a statement while boarding the plane, saying, "We look forward to the talks. I think it will go positively. If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith and are open to compromise, that would be a different situation. However, if they try to stall us, they will see that our negotiation team will not be very warm to this. The President has given us very clear instructions; we will see how the process will proceed.”
RED ALERT IN ISLAMABAD As Israel intensifies its attacks on Lebanon, Iran's insistence on including Lebanon in the ceasefire continues, while silence prevails in Pakistan's capital Islamabad ahead of the talks scheduled for tomorrow. Following the temporary ceasefire achieved on April 8 after the war that began with the US-Israel attacks on Iran on February 28, security measures have been increased in Islamabad, where negotiations are set to take place. In preparation for the US-Iran peace talks, more than 10,000 police and security personnel have been assigned to ensure the safety of visiting delegations, and a "red alert" status has been declared in the capital. Pakistani authorities, who began to increase security measures yesterday, closed all roads leading to the Old Airport Road and Nur Khan Air Base by placing containers and barbed wire.
US AND ISRAEL - IRAN WAR The US and Israel began attacks on Iran targeting the country's military and nuclear infrastructure on February 28, and in these attacks, Iran's religious leader Ali Khamenei was killed. The Tehran administration responded to the attacks, in which at least 3,000 people lost their lives, by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global oil and natural gas passes. This decision by Iran also caused energy prices to skyrocket and disrupted trade worldwide. The US and Iran had agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8, mediated by Pakistan. The ceasefire is expected to end on April 22.
One of the key points of the talks is Lebanon. Israel's continued attacks targeting Hezbollah after the ceasefire came into effect have influenced whether the negotiations will take place. Considering Iran's insistence that the ceasefire also includes Lebanon and its statements that it will not participate in the talks unless a ceasefire is established in Lebanon, one of the topics on the agenda for tomorrow's discussions will also be Lebanon.