The US and Iran began negotiations Saturday in\u00a0Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced, as\u00a0the war\u00a0that has killed 1000’s of individuals and shaken global markets\u00a0entered its seventh week.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s state-run news agency said three-party talks had begun after Iranian preconditions, including a discount in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, were met, and after U.S. and Iranian officials met individually with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. There have been no immediate further details, nor U.S. comment.<\/p>\n
The U.S. delegation led by\u00a0Vice President JD Vance\u00a0and the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker\u00a0Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf\u00a0were discussing methods to advance the ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel\u2019s continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot say whether or not they are sitting in the identical room or in separate rooms, but talks have began and are progressing well,\u201d said one Pakistani official with knowledge of the peace efforts, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to refer to the media.<\/p>\n
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Iran sets \u2018red lines\u2019 including compensation for strikes<\/h2>\n
Iran doubled down on parts of its earlier proposal, with its delegation telling Iranian state television it had presented a number of the plan\u2019s ideas as \u201cred lines\u201d in meetings with Sharif. Those included compensation for damage brought on by the U.S.-Israeli strikes that launched the war on Feb. 28 and releasing Iran\u2019s frozen assets.<\/p>\n
The war has killed at the very least 3,000 people in Iran, 1,953 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and greater than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Iran\u2019s chokehold on the vital\u00a0Strait of Hormuz\u00a0has largely cut off the Persian Gulf and its oil and gas exports from the worldwide economy,\u00a0sending energy prices soaring. Attacks have caused lasting damage on infrastructure in half a dozen countries within the Middle East.<\/p>\n
In Tehran, residents told The Associated Press they were skeptical yet hopeful in regards to the talks after weeks of airstrikes left destruction across their country of some 93 million people. Some said the trail to recovery can be long.<\/p>\n
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\u201cPeace alone is just not enough for our country, because we\u2019ve been hit very hard, there have been huge costs,\u201d 62-year-old Amir Razzai Far said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Israel pressed ahead with strikes in Lebanon after saying there isn’t any ceasefire there. Iran and\u00a0Pakistan\u00a0have disagreed. The Lebanese state-run news agency reported at the very least three people killed. There have been no reported strikes within the afternoon.<\/p>\n
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Officials posture over key issues ahead of talks<\/h2>\n
U.S. and Iranian officials claimed leverage and issued recent demands and preconditions as talks approached. President Donald Trump posted repeatedly on social media leading as much as Saturday, saying Iranian officials \u201chaven’t any cards\u201d to barter with.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one reason they’re alive today is to barter!\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
He accused Iran of using\u00a0the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy supplies, for extortion, and told reporters Friday it will be opened \u201cwith or without them.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Trump said on social media that the U.S. had begun \u201cclearing out\u201d the strait, nevertheless it was unclear whether he was referring to the reported use of mines there or Iran\u2019s broader ability to manage the realm.<\/p>\n
Islamabad was deserted as security forces sealed roads and authorities urged residents to remain inside.<\/p>\n
Vance said Friday that the U.S. was optimistic in regards to the talks, but warned: \u201cIn the event that they\u2019re going to try to play us, then they\u2019re going to seek out that the negotiating team is just not that receptive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said Tehran was entering negotiations with \u201cdeep distrust\u201d after\u00a0strikes\u00a0on Iran during previous rounds of talks. Araghchi, who is a component of Iran\u2019s delegation in\u00a0Pakistan, said Saturday that his country was prepared to retaliate if attacked again.<\/p>\n
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