The United States delegation left for Islamabad, Pakistan, to join Saturday’s high-stakes ceasefire negotiations regarding the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran. The Pakistani government confirmed the Iranian delegation has already arrived in the capital city. Fresh disputes erupted between top US and Iranian officials on Friday, casting heavy doubt over the upcoming talks. Both sides deeply distrust each other, and they are now fiercely arguing over the specific conditions they agreed to just days ago to pause the violence.
The central conflict revolves around a 10-point Iranian proposal. This plan served as the primary foundation for Tuesday’s agreement to pause fighting and begin diplomatic efforts. Yet, both sides offer totally different accounts of the actual deal. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on Friday that this massive disconnect could ruin the negotiations before the two teams even sit down in the same room. He posted on the social media platform X that the US must first implement 2 mutually agreed-upon measures. He demands an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and the full release of Iran’s blocked financial assets. He stated these 2 vital matters must happen before any talks begin. Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi represent Iran at these meetings. Iranian state media also reported the team will only talk if Washington accepts these strict preconditions. At the same time, the Iranian military warned that it keeps its fingers on the trigger because the US and Israel repeatedly break trust.
President Donald Trump fired back with heavy threats. He told the New York Post that the US military is loading ships with the best weapons ever made to prepare for complete decimation. He promised that his administration would use these weapons very effectively if it failed to secure a solid deal. Later, Trump used Truth Social to signal he plans to take a tough stance heading into the weekend. He claimed the Iranians hold no cards except for a short-term extortion of the world by controlling the Strait of Hormuz. He added that the only reason they remain alive today is to negotiate. Just hours before Tuesday’s pause, Trump threatened that an entire civilization would die that night.
The Trump administration credits the Tuesday agreement with stopping a major US escalation in the region. However, officials refuse to release a clear outline of the initial framework to the public. They only insist their version looks fundamentally different from Iran’s published 10-point plan. Security analysts note huge gaps between the 2 sides regarding the Strait of Hormuz, frozen foreign assets, Iran’s nuclear program, and Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon. The US and Israel firmly argue that a ceasefire in Lebanon never factored into the deal, which directly contradicts claims from both Iran and Pakistan. Despite this strong denial, Trump told an Israeli reporter on Thursday that he encouraged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make military operations against Hezbollah much more low-key before the peace talks start.
Violence continues to rage on the ground despite the diplomatic efforts happening abroad. Israeli attacks killed at least 300 people across Lebanon on Wednesday, marking one of the deadliest days of the military offensive. These intense strikes continued through Friday. Reporters in the southern city of Tire see absolutely no signs of a slowdown or troop withdrawal. Regional conflicts also flared up elsewhere. Kuwait reported it intercepted 7 drones that Iran fired into its airspace over the past 24 hours.
US Vice President JD Vance departed for Pakistan on Friday morning and predicted positive results despite the heavy threats flying around from both capitals. Vance said he received very clear guidelines from Trump. He promised to extend an open hand if Iranians truly negotiate in good faith. However, he warned that the US team will shut down any sneaky attempts to play them. Vance leads the American delegation because Iran deeply distrusts US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Witkoff and Kushner previously led 2 failed rounds of indirect talks concerning Iran’s nuclear program. The first effort collapsed entirely when Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran in June 2025. That short conflict ended only when the US military struck 3 key Iranian nuclear sites. The second diplomatic attempt fell apart completely when the US and Israel launched the current regional war on February 28.
