As US-Iran talks continue in Islamabad, Tehran said it is actively engaged with Lebanon to ensure ceasefire commitments are upheld.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, known as a strategic moderator, is leaidng the Iranian delegation, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also among its ranks. The size of the Iranian delegation reflects the complexity and sensitivity of the talks.
Iranian Foreign Ministry officials confirmed the coordination amid high-level discussions in Pakistan involving senior US and Iranian representatives.
The negotiations, dubbed the “Islamabad Talks,” between the US and Iran began on Saturday, marking the next critical step in efforts to solidify a fragile two-week ceasefire that halted 40 days of devastating war between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance just days ago, which had ravaged global energy supplies.
The US delegation is led by Vice President JD Vance, alongside special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Facing them across the table is a formidable Iranian contingent of 71 members,comprising negotiators, technical experts, media representatives.
Lebanese sources close to Hezbollah appeared to support the Pakistan-based dialogue as there are reports they are viewing it as a more constructive approach than separate talks scheduled in Washington next week.
Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran’s envoy to Pakistan, questioned US commitment to the process, emphasizing that the talks aim to “end an illegal war against the Iranian nation” and highlighting the wider regional security risks. “It remains to be seen whether the U.S. honours the mediation efforts of the host in good office,” he added.
Meanwhile, Israeli and Lebanese envoys are expected to meet in Washington on Tuesday as US President Donald Trump seeks to calm weeks of Israeli fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has threatened to derail a fragile US-Iran ceasefire.
Israel announced it will hold formal peace talks with Lebanon in Washington next week but will not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah, as Israeli forces continue air and ground attacks in southern Lebanon.
At least 10 people, including three emergency workers, were killed by Israeli attacks on Saturday, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said, as state media reported raids on more than a dozen locations in the south.
This comes after Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors held late-night discussions on Friday to finalise arrangements for a meeting due at the Department of State on Tuesday to discuss a pathway to peace.
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said the talks would mark the start of formal negotiations with the Lebanese government, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“Israel agreed to begin formal peace negotiations” with Lebanon, he said. But he ruled out any discussion involving Hezbollah. “Israel refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organisation, which continues to attack Israel and is the main obstacle to peace between the two countries.”
Lebanese lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah, who is affiliated with Hezbollah, said on Saturday that the group rejects direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.
The move is “a blatant violation of the [national] pact, the constitution and Lebanese laws … and it exacerbates domestic divisions at [national] time when Lebanon most needs solidarity and internal unity to face Israel’s aggression and preserve civil peace”, Fadlallah said in [national] statement.
