Pakistan poised to host US-Iran talks
Pakistan was poised on Friday to host Iranian and US delegations for negotiations in its capital, although Tehran’s participation remained uncertain after deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon threatened this week’s temporary truce.
Separately, Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington next week, a Department of State official said, amid mounting international concern that Israel’s bombing campaign could shatter the already fragile two-week US-Iran ceasefire.
Islamabad was pressing ahead with its preparations for the high-stakes negotiations, which official sources say will canvass several sensitive points, including Iran’s nuclear enrichment and the free flow of trade through the strategic Strait of Hormuz maritime chokepoint.
But, even as security was ramped up in Islamabad and the main luxury hotel hosting delegates was cleared of its normal well-heeled guests, Iran signaled that its participation could hinge on a halt in Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
“The holding of talks to end the war is dependent on the US adhering to its ceasefire commitments on all fronts, especially in Lebanon,” Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said.
“If the travel plan is finalized, the composition of the delegation will also be announced,” he added.
Heaviest strikes
Nevertheless, Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards signaled they were committing to the ceasefire, according to the state broadcaster.
“We would like to inform you that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not launched anything at any country during the ceasefire hours until now,” the Guards said.
On Wednesday, Israel’s heaviest strikes on Lebanon since Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in early March killed hundreds, rattling the uneasy ceasefire between Washington and Tehran less than 48 hours after it came into force.
Pakistan has insisted that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire, and Washington made a push to include Beirut in parallel talks.
“We can confirm that the Department will host a meeting next week to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon,” a US Department of State official said.
Neither Israel nor the Lebanese government have publicly confirmed these talks, although the announcement came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his ministers to seek direct dialogue with Lebanon focused on disarming Iran-backed Hezbollah.
A Lebanese government official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Beirut would require a truce before entering any negotiations with Israel.
Two-week truce
Israel’s refusal to halt operations in Lebanon has cast a shadow over the expected talks in Pakistan where many roads in the capital were closed on Friday during a two-day public holiday that turned the city into a ghost town as it prepared for delegates’ arrival.
The two-week truce was agreed to allow negotiations between US and Iranian officials aimed at ending a conflict that has already killed thousands and plunged the global economy into turmoil.
If the talks go ahead, a key point of contention remains the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil as well as vast quantities of natural gas and fertilizer pass in peacetime.
Trump accused Iran of doing a “very poor job” of allowing oil through the strait and of breaching the terms of their ceasefire agreement.
In a barrage of social media posts that sparked fresh fears for the shaky truce, he also warned Tehran against imposing a toll on ships passing through the crucial waterway.
MarineTraffic data showed that the Gabon-flagged MSG passed through the strait on Thursday, the first non-Iranian oil tanker to do so since the ceasefire was announced.
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