Iran imposes additional conditions on the US, a day before the start of negotiations in Pakistan
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament on Friday called for a ceasefire in Lebanon and the unfreezing of Iran's assets abroad before any peace negotiations with the United States, reports AFP.
“Two of the measures agreed upon by the parties have yet to be implemented: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the unfreezing of Iran's assets, before negotiations begin. These two issues must be resolved before negotiations begin,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote in a post on X.
Prerequisites to negotiations
Unlocking Iranian assets frozen under sanctions has so far not been publicly mentioned by Tehran as a precondition for peace talks, even though the lifting of economic sanctions is on Iran's list of 10 demands.
On the Iranian side, uncertainty hangs over the departure of a delegation to Islamabad, which could be led by the influential Speaker of the Parliament.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, whose country has imposed itself as a mediator in the conflict, announced on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday that Iran and the United States “as well as their allies have agreed to an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
But Israel and the United States denied that the agreement would also refer to Lebanon bombed by the Israeli army, which is on the offensive against the pro-Iranian Shiite militia Hezbollah.
JD Vance's warning
US Vice President JD Vance boarded Air Force Two on Friday, heading to Islamabad, Pakistan, where he will hold high-profile talks with the Iranian side to end the war.
“We are looking forward to the negotiations. I think they will be positive,” Vance told reporters on the track, before departure, according to News.ro, which cites CNN.
“As the president of the United States has said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly willing to lend a helping hand. If they try to play with us, they will find that the negotiating team is not so receptive,” he warned.
Vance said Trump gave the negotiating team, which also includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, “clear guidelines” for the negotiations, without providing further details.
The deal for a two-week ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, came just hours before a deadline that Trump said would trigger US attacks on Iran's power plants and bridges and the destruction of “an entire civilization”.
