No talks with US until...: Iran denies sending negotiators to Pak

Despite Pakistan's preparations for potential talks, Iran denies sending officials to negotiate with the US, while Israel condemns Pakistan's Defence Minister's remarks, adding complexity to the fragile ceasefire efforts.

Iran's official news agencies have rejected the reports in international media claiming that senior officials such as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Bager Ghalibaf have travelled to Pakistan to negotiate with the United States.

Referring to Tasnim News Agency, who quoted a well-informed source on Thursday night, Iranian state broadcaster 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.

Press TV citing Tasnim discarded the claims and a report by The Wall Street Journal of senior officials travelling to Islamabad for talks with Washington. 

Citing comments by a senior official, sources told Tasnim that until Israeli attacks do not stop in Lebanon and the US fulfills its commitment to ceasefire in the country, the talks would remain on hold.

"The news from some media outlets that an Iranian negotiating team has arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, to negotiate with the Americans is completely false," the source told Tasnim.

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. 

No Official Word On Arrival Delegates

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amir Moghadam in a statement confirmed that a 10-member Iran delegation would arrive in Islamabad.

"Despite skepticism of Iranian public opinion due to repeated ceasefire violations by the Israeli regime to sabotage the diplomatic initiative, invited by Hon PM Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian delegation arrives tonight in Islamabad for serious talks based on 10 points proposed by Iran," he said on X on Thursday.

Hours later, he deleted the statement amidst the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, which was subjected to aerial attacks by Israel, calling it a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Iran's president also, in a tweet, cast doubts over the process of talks if Israel continued its policy of attacks on Lebanon.

Officials have not provided any timeline for the arrival of delegates due to security reasons, adding to the mystery as the day of the dialogue has arrived, but not the parties involved in the conflict.

Despite uncertainty, Pakistan was geared up to host the two sides.

Pakistan's Role as Mediator Under Scrutiny

In spite of the reports from Iran, Pakistan's Deputy PM Ishaq Dar in a post on X said that visa requirements for delegates and journalists coming to Islamabad have been waived off for the talks scheduled to take place in Islamabad.

The Pakistan capital is on red-alert, with heightened security as 10,000 police and security personnel have been deployed, Dawn reported.

Despite the preparations by the self-styled mediator, there has been no clarity on when the talks will be held. 

Israel's Criticism of Pakistan

Meanwhile, Israeli envoy to US, Yechiel Leiter, lambasted Pak Defence Minister over his recent remarks on Israel, calling the country a "problem" instead of being a "mediator".

In a post on X he affirmed, "Even if it is to your dismay, Israel is here to stay. That's not for negotiation."

Israel has responded with fury to Pakistan Defence Minsiter Khawaja Asif's statement, denouncing Islamabad's mediation pitch and vowing to defend itself against "terrorists" who want Tel Aviv's destruction.

In a strong-worded response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar rebuked Pakistan over its Defence Minister's statement, calling jewish state "cancerous", which Sa'ar said is "calling for Israel's annihilation."

This comes after Khawaja Asif, in a post on X, called Israel "evil and a curse for humanity" accusing it of committing "genocide" in Lebanon while peace negotiations are underway.

"Israel is evil and a curse for humanity, while peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon. Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated," he said.

"I hope and pray people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European jews burn in hell," he added.

The Pakistan Defence Minister's statement has put the fragile ceasefire at more risk, even before the commencement of the negotiations in Islamabad.

This adds more embarrassment after Pakistan's fumble in clearly defining the terms of the two-week ceasefire.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif had claimed that Lebanon was also a part of the peace deal--a claim firmly dismissed by both US President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Islamabad Under Tight Security 

A thick security blanket covered the capital, Islamabad, which was on 'red alert' ahead of talks.

Officials said that more than 10,000 police and security personnel have been deployed to ensure multi-layered security for the visiting delegates. Police and paramilitary Rangers personnel were deployed and are being helped by the army.

The Red Zone housing key buildings are being protected by the army and the Rangers, which was open at one place through the Margalla Road, and only authorised officials and residents would be allowed to go through it.

The upcoming negotiations are being closely watched globally, as their success or failure could have far-reaching implications for West Asia's security, global energy markets, and international diplomacy.

With inputs from PTI