* Iran says ceasefire must include Lebanon, unfreezing of assets* Vance tells Iran not to ‘play us’* Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon continue on Friday
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said yesterday that leaders of both Iran and the United States would attend ceasefire talks in his country set for today – and warned that progress would be hard work. “In response to my sincere invitation, the leaderships of both countries are coming to Islamabad. There, negotiations will be held for the establishment of peace,” Sharif said in an address to the nation.
Iranian officials landed late last night at Nur Khan Air Base in Islamabad under Pakistan’s Air Force escort, sources involved in the talks said. While US Vice-President J D Vance was on his way to Pakistan, there had been a question mark over the Iran delegation after Tehran set conditions for the start of negotiations.Iran has said a two-week ceasefire in place must apply to Lebanon, where Israel was still carrying out bombing raids on Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Iran also called for its assets frozen abroad because of US sanctions to be unblocked. Sharif sounded a more positive note, thanking both sides for agreeing to meet, but said the hard work was still to come. “A temporary ceasefire has been announced, but now an even more difficult stage lies ahead: the stage of achieving a lasting ceasefire, of resolving complicated issues through negotiations,” he said in his televised speech. “This is that stage which, in English, is called the equivalent of ‘make or break’.”
He said his government would “make every possible effort to make these talks successful”.
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on X that the two above measures had been previously agreed with Washington and that talks would not start until they are fulfilled, amid mounting dispute over the ceasefire terms. This was echoed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who also demanded an end to Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon. Both officials are expected to be at the talks, Pakistani sources said.
Trump, who did not specifically address the Iranian demands, earlier told the New York Post that US warships were being reloaded “with the best ammunition to resume strikes on Iran if peace talks in Pakistan fail”. Vice-President J D Vance, who will lead the US delegation, said he expected a positive outcome as he headed to Pakistan, but added: “if they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive”.
Iran has been unable to obtain tens of billions of dollars of its assets in foreign banks, mainly from exports of oil and gas, due to US sanctions on its banking and energy sectors.
Discover more from Truth Inspire Your Day
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
