Iran’s state-run news agencies have strongly denied international media reports claiming that senior officials, such as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, travelled to Pakistan for negotiations with the United States, Press TV reported.
Here’s what the Iranian media said
Referring to Tasnim News Agency, which quoted a well-informed source on Thursday night, Press TV said that neither Araghchi nor Ghalibaf have left the country and they continue to remain in Tehran, actively carrying out their national duties amid regional developments.
Tasnim News dismissed the Wall Street Journal report that senior officials were travelling to Islamabad for talks with Washington. Citing comments by a senior official, sources told Tasnim News that until Israeli attacks stop in Lebanon and the US fulfils its commitment to the ceasefire in the country, the talks would remain on hold.
The source told Tasnim, “The news from some media outlets that an Iranian negotiating team has arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, to negotiate with the Americans is completely false.”
As per Press TV, Iran’s Fars News Agency also categorically rejected the Wall Street Journal report, underlining that Iran has “no plans to attend peace talks with the American side until a ceasefire is established in Lebanon”.
Citing a source, Fars refuted claims of any Iranian negotiating delegation travelling to Islamabad.
In spite of reports from Iran, Pakistan’s Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, in a post on X, said that visa requirements for delegates and journalists attending the talks in Islamabad have been waived.
See the post here
The Pakistan capital is on red alert, with heightened security, as 10,000 police and security personnel have been deployed, Dawn reported.
JD Vance, who has long opposed foreign military interventions and questioned open-ended troop deployments, is set to travel to Islamabad on Friday to lead mediated talks with Iran, AP reported.
The visit comes as a fragile, temporary ceasefire appears close to collapsing, with major differences between Iran’s demands and those of the United States and its ally Israel remaining unresolved.
Meanwhile, political and economic pressure is mounting in the US to bring the conflict to a swift conclusion, especially as Vance may seek the presidency in the coming years.
Soon after the White House and Iran announced a temporary ceasefire on Tuesday evening, disagreements over its terms quickly emerged.
Iran maintained that the truce included an end to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon. However, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump clarified that the ceasefire did not extend to Lebanon, and Israeli actions there continued.
At the same time, the United States pressed Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran had shut down in response to escalating Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, as reported by AP.
The White House has not detailed who will be in the negotiations besides Vance, Witkoff and Kushner, but Kelly said officials from the National Security Council, State Department and Pentagon “will also play a supportive role”.
