In a development that could jeopardize the Iran-US ceasefire talks, Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, has deleted a post on Thursday regarding the planned visit of an Iranian delegation to Islamabad for peace negotiations on April 10.
Envoy Moghadam had posted on April 9 that the delegation would arrive in Islamabad on Thursday night for discussions with the United States.
The post noted that the visit was proceeding “despite skepticism of Iranian public opinion due to repeated ceasefire violations by the Israeli regime, which aim to sabotage the diplomatic initiative.”
The delegation is expected to engage in talks based on ten points proposed by Tehran, according to the ambassador.
The deletion of the social media post has sparked speculation about internal debates within Iran regarding the timing and approach to the negotiations.
Just hours after a ceasefire between the United States and Iran brought relief to the world and raised hopes of de-escalation in West Asia, Israel launched one of its deadliest overnight offensives in Lebanon causing widespread destruction and mass casualties.
Lebanon’s Civil Defence said in a statement that at least 254 people were killed and over 1,100 were injured as airstrikes pounded multiple regions, including Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, Mount Lebanon, Sidon, and southern villages.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who was expected to lead upcoming talks with the United States in Islamabad, criticised ongoing violations of Tehran’s truce plan.
Ghalibaf said a ceasefire and negotiations were “unreasonable” due to continued attacks in Lebanon, drone incursions into Iranian airspace, and the denial of Iran’s right to nuclear enrichment.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf highlighted, “Statement on the violation of three key clauses of the 10-Point Proposal (Agreed Framework) before the start of negotiations.
The deep historical distrust we hold toward the United States stems from its repeated violations of all forms of commitments, a pattern that has regrettably been repeated once again.”
Iran’s stance underscores the country’s insistence on strict adherence to its proposed framework before engaging in international diplomatic talks.
Ghalibaf underscored the significance of Iran’s 10-Point Proposal, which the President of the United States has recognized as a “workable basis on which to negotiate” and the main framework for upcoming talks.
However, 3 clauses of this proposal have been violated so far:
First is the non-compliance with the first clause of the 10-Point Proposal regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon – a commitment that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also explicitly referred to and declared as “an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and other regions, effective immediately”;
The second point is the entry of an intruding drone into Iranian airspace, which was destroyed in the city of Lar in Fars Province, in clear violation of the clause prohibiting any further violation of Iranian airspace.
The third point is the denial of Iran’s right to enrichment, which was included in the sixth clause of the framework.
Now, the very “workable basis on which to negotiate” has been openly and clearly violated, even before the negotiations began. He said in such a situation, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations is unreasonable.
