Islamabad: The world's attention will turn Friday to Islamabad, Pakistan, which will host the first public direct talks between the United States and Iran in many years.
According to Qatar News Agency, these talks are described as difficult and crucial due to the tense atmosphere, but observers note they represent a historic opportunity that could change the entire map of the Middle East or could return the region to a spiral of tensions and conflicts if they fail.
Delegations are expected to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow before negotiators formally sit down at the negotiating table on Saturday. Reports confirm that the 30-member US negotiating team has already arrived in Islamabad to review security arrangements.
The White House stated that Vice President J.D. Vance would lead the American delegation in these negotiations, along with envoys Steve Wittkopf and Jared Kushner. Tehran announced that its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf would lead the discussions in Islamabad, in the presence of mediators and several other figures.
These negotiations come in the wake of a two-week ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran, brokered by Pakistan and announced early Wednesday. The truce, which averted imminent US strikes on Iran, was based on a ten-point Iranian proposal that Washington accepted as a general framework for talks.
This round of negotiations follows an unprecedented military escalation between the two sides, marked by mutual threats and attacks that have directly affected the security of the region and global shipping traffic.
Despite the announcement of a temporary truce, events on the ground quickly deviated from the diplomatic messages. Within hours, the agreement was severely undermined as Israeli warplanes launched what was described as the largest wave of airstrikes on Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon since the start of the conflict. The strikes targeted nearly 100 sites within minutes, resulting in the death and injury of hundreds of unarmed civilians. Hezbollah responded by targeting the Manara settlement in northern Israel with missiles, while Tehran threatened to retaliate against the Israeli attacks, signaling the collapse of the truce.
Pakistan has condemned in the strongest terms the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, stressing that Israeli actions undermine international efforts to establish peace and stability in the region and constitute a flagrant violation of international law and basic humanitarian principles. Pakistan urged the international community to take urgent and concrete steps to end the Israeli aggression against Lebanon.
While the White House confirmed that the ceasefire was limited to direct hostilities between the United States and Iran, and that Lebanon was not included, Iranian officials rejected this interpretation. Tehran stressed that a partial ceasefire was unacceptable and threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire agreement if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continued.
Iran had previously rejected a 15-point US list of demands, stating that it imposed broad restrictions on its nuclear program, missile capabilities, and regional alliances. Instead, it presented a 10-point counter-proposal emphasizing its sovereignty and calling for a broad de-escalation.
The Iranian proposal also called for recognition of its right to uranium enrichment, the removal of primary and secondary US sanctions, the termination of UN resolutions, compensation for war damages, and a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.
On Wednesday, the State of Qatar welcomed the ceasefire announcement between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, considering it an initial step towards de-escalation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, particularly those of Prime Minister Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and all parties involved in mediation and good offices that contributed to achieving a ceasefire.
Despite the diplomatic momentum surrounding the Islamabad negotiations, observers warn that these talks face significant obstacles, as fundamental disagreements persist between the two sides. They consider this a historic opportunity to defuse a crisis that threatened to destabilize the Middle East and the global economy.
Pakistan declared today and tomorrow an official holiday to facilitate the US-Iranian talks, imposing strict security measures in the capital, Islamabad. Hundreds of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to secure the city before the two sides sit down at the negotiating table, awaiting results that could reshape the landscape in the Middle East and the world as a whole.