By Al Mayadeen English
Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says Tehran is negotiating in good faith but does not trust the other side, as talks in Islamabad remain conditional on preconditions.
The Iranian delegation, headed by Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf, arrived in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, ahead of renewed ceasefire negotiations with the US, Fars News Agency reported early Friday.
Fars reports that Iran's delegation security, political, military, economic, and legal committees, noting that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Ali Akbar Ahmadian, representative of Iran’s Leader in the Supreme National Security Council, are also accompanying Ghalibaf.
According to Fars, negotiations are contingent on Washington accepting Iran’s preconditions before formal discussions can begin, underscoring Tehran’s position that prior commitments must be addressed before advancing toward a ceasefire agreement.
Early Saturday morning, Ghalibaf posted a picture of himself aboard the plane carrying Tehran's negotiating delegation to Pakistan. The image showed pictures and bags belonging to the child martyrs of the Minab school massacre.
He captioned the post: "My companions on this trip."
Tehran: Good intentions, but no trust
Upon arrival at Islamabad airport, Ghalibaf reiterated that Tehran approaches negotiations with good intentions, but emphasized a lack of trust toward the opposing side.
"Our past experiences in negotiations have not been encouraging," he said, adding that "two wars were waged on Iran within one year, while it was in the middle of a negotiation process."
The agency reported that talks are expected to begin tomorrow afternoon at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad.
Tabatabaei: Diplomacy aligned with the field and the street
Iranian Presidential Assistant for Public Relations Mehdi Tabatabaei commented on the delegation’s departure, highlighting what he described as a growing alignment between diplomacy, the field, and public sentiment.
He stated that: "The armed forces have their hands on the trigger to punish the wrongdoers", adding that the "hearts of the people in the streets are beating with longing for victory."
Tabatabaei added that "the keen eyes of the men of diplomacy are waiting to seize victory for Iran."
Ceasefire tensions persist amid violations
The broader ceasefire framework remains fragile, particularly due to "Israel's" violating the ceasefire in its attacks on Lebanon.
Ghalibaf has repeatedly emphasized that a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of frozen Iranian assets are essential steps that must precede negotiations, while ongoing violations by the US and "Israel" continue to complicate diplomatic efforts.
"Israel" separated itself shortly after the announcement of the ceasefire, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stating that Lebanon was not a part of the deal. However, according to diplomatic sources speaking with CBS News, US President Donald Trump was informed that the ceasefire framework applied to the broader West Asia, and he reportedly agreed that this would include Lebanon.
The Israeli occupation launched a series of unprecedented attacks targeting civilian homes and infrastructure across Lebanon following the announcement. The aggression resulted in over 200 martyrs and thousands of injuries.
A White House official also told CBS News that "Israel" agreed to the terms of the deal, further reinforcing the initial understanding that the ceasefire extended to Lebanon.
Despite the confirmations, the US position reportedly changed following a call between Trump and Netanyahu, raising questions surrounding the consistency and independence of US decision-making in the negotiation process.
The sources also added that the abrupt shifts in Washington’s position, with what they described as a fragmented and inconsistent approach within the Iranian side, made diplomacy increasingly unstable and difficult to manage.
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