US-Iran negotiations underway in Islamabad. Tehran asks for the unfreezing of assets, Washington does not

After six weeks of war and the fragile truce reached in recent days, United States e Iran they try the way of dialogue. The stakes are very high negotiationswhich will be held starting today in Pakistanthey could determine whether the cease-fire will hold or if the war against Iran which has caused thousands of deaths, damaged the world economy and destabilized the Middle Eastit will resume.

The Iranian delegationmade up of 71 people and led by the President of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaflanded late in the evening at Islamabad. Ghalibaf is accompanied by the Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior Tehran officials. The US team, led by the vice president JD Vanceincludes the President’s Special Envoy Donald Trump, Steve Witkoffand Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The parties view each other with distrust and the risk that the negotiations fail is just around the corner. “We have good intentions, but we don’t trust the US,” the head of the Iranian delegation said upon his arrival. And before boarding the plane that is taking him to Pakistan, JD Vance warned Iran against any attempt to “play” with Washington. “If they try to play games with us, they will see that our negotiating team will not be very receptive,” he said. However, Vance assured that Washington intends to “try to conduct constructive negotiations”. The Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif defined today’s talks between the United States and Iran as a “decisive moment”, “a difficult step awaits us: establishing a lasting truce and resolving delicate issues through diplomatic channels”, he added. Negotiations are expected to take place both indirectly and directly, a US official and a regional source told CNN. The two sides are likely to agree on the agenda of the talks via the mediation of Pakistani officials. Thereafter, meetings are expected to take place face-to-face throughout the day.

Donald Trump’s goals and threats

On the eve of the talks, Trump he said U.S. negotiators are focusing primarily on the goal of preventing Tehran from equipping itself with nuclear weapons. The US president also stated that Strait of Hormuz will reopen soon, “with or without Iran’s cooperation” and has warned that it will intensify attacks attacks if a peace agreement.

Developments on the Lebanese and Israeli fronts

Meanwhile, Lebanese and Israeli diplomats spoke by telephone yesterday evening and agreed to meet next week in Washington to discuss a possible ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel e Hezbollahthe Lebanese president’s office said Joseph Aoun. The Israeli ambassador Yechiel ladder confirmed plans for the meeting in Washington on Tuesday, but said that “Israel has refused to discuss a ceasefire with the terrorist organization Hezbollah.” The pro-Iranian Shiite organization, for its part, urged the Lebanese government to defect direct negotiations with Israel after the deaths of 13 members of the Lebanese security forces a Nabatiyeh happened yesterday.

LA DIRETTA

12.28 Media, USA deny concessions on Tehran assets

The United States has not agreed to the release of any frozen Iranian assets. A senior US official told CBS News, denying media reports.
According to the source, although Vice President JD Vance had a bilateral meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, negotiations have not yet started and no agreements have been discussed.
The American delegation includes Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Pakistani delegation includes Mohsin Naqvi, Interior Minister, and Ishaq Dar, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

12.18 PM Pakistan meets Vance “talks have begun”

Peace talks between Iran and the United States have begun. This was announced by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after meeting US Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad.
“As the Islamabad talks began today, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, held a meeting with His Excellency JD Vance, Vice President of the United States of America,” the statement read, “the Prime Minister reiterated that Pakistan intends to continue to facilitate the work of both sides to make progress towards lasting peace in the region.”

10.43 Araghchi to Wadephul, on “complete distrust” talks

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi faces negotiations with the United States in Pakistan under conditions of “complete mistrust.” This is the position expressed by the head of Iranian diplomacy during a phone call with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, as reported by the Mehr news agency. Araghchi said his country would “fight with all its might to guarantee the interests and rights of the Iranian people,” citing repeated violations of promises and “betrayals of diplomacy” by the United States as reasons for his assessment.

09.53 media, Chinese delegation in Pakistan for guarantees

A Chinese delegation is expected in Islamabad today to assist the Pakistani mediator in negotiations between the United States and Iran. This was reported by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, citing a source from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry. According to the same source, Beijing could provide guarantees if the two sides reach an agreement.

09.10 Tehran delegation will meet Prime Minister Sharif at 1pm

Iran’s negotiating team will meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad at 1pm local time. This was reported by the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim. The Iranian delegation has already met the Pakistani army chief and foreign minister upon their arrival at Islamabad airport during the night.
Again according to Tasnim, the focus of the meeting between the Iranian delegation and Prime Minister Sharif will be the examination of violations of the commitments undertaken by the American side. The release of Iranian assets and a ceasefire in Lebanon are among the preconditions for the effective start of negotiations with the US in Islamabad, the Iranian agency recalls.
The United States had informed Pakistan, as a mediator in the negotiations, to accept these preconditions and other conditions for the commencement of talks. However, some of these have not yet been met, Tasnim underlined. In today’s meetings, the Iranian delegation should therefore evaluate Washington’s actual position and compliance with its commitments, after which it will decide whether or not to start negotiations with the United States.

07.39 Media, delegation landed in Pakistan

The US delegation for negotiations with Iran has landed in Islamabad. This was reported by Pakistani sources cited by Reuters and other media, including Al Jazeera.
Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, shrouded in clouds, hosts the highly anticipated talks between the United States and Iran. The Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf, arrived after midnight (local time). The US counterpart, under the leadership of Vice President JD Vance, has only now arrived, which is why some sources speculate that the negotiations will continue on Sunday as well.
In reality there is no official timetable regarding the duration of the talks, although multiple sources report that they will last a whole day. After last week’s ceasefire announcement, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said on April 8 that talks could last up to 15 days.

06.57 Media, very expensive US drone disappeared over the Hormuz Strait

On April 9, a US Navy MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drone, one of the most expensive drones in the US fleet, on patrol in the Strait of Hormuz, crashed from 52,000 feet. When he dropped below 10,000 feet, his transponder signal was lost. Forbes writes this, citing the FlightRadar flight tracking system.
According to Forbes, there is no official confirmation as to whether the drone crashed, was shot down by an Iranian missile or whether it somehow managed to recover and return to base. The Triton is a large drone, with a wingspan larger than that of a Boeing 737 airliner. According to Forbes estimates, each Triton drone cost the US administration around 400 million dollars.