With less than 48 hours to go until the ceasefire in Iran expires , negotiations between Washington and Tehran resume today in Islamabad . Pakistan is confident it can convince Iran to come to the table for the second round of talks after the failure of the first. Vance is expected in Islamabad this afternoon, and the Iranian delegation will also depart after receiving the green light from Mujtaba Khamenei.
"We have received a positive signal," said an anonymous government official in Islamabad. "The situation is constantly evolving, but we are trying to ensure their presence when we begin the talks."
Trump appears to be cornered after deciding to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, which is proving to be a trap. The Iranian regime, though decapitated, holds the keys to this crucial passage, and this weakens the American position and frustrates the president, who once again threatens: "Agreement by Wednesday or bombs."
“Iran will negotiate, otherwise it will face problems never seen before,” he told a conservative radio program, adding that any agreement must prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons: “I hope they reach a fair agreement and rebuild their country, but they will not have a nuclear weapon, nor any possibility of having one. We cannot allow that.”
"By imposing the blockade and violating the ceasefire, Trump wants, in his view, to transform this negotiating table into a point of surrender or to justify a new wave of military provocations. We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threat, and over the past two weeks we have been preparing to reveal new cards on the battlefield ," responded Iranian Parliament Speaker and negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf.
The most immediate obstacle to the diplomatic path appears to be the US blockade of Iranian ports: Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, who plays a key role in the negotiations, reportedly told the tycoon himself, according to Reuters online. The seizure of the Touska ship in the Gulf of Oman has also rekindled tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where ships are passing through at a trickle. According to several Iranian media, lifting the US naval blockade is a prerequisite for talks with Washington. But the tycoon insists he will not lift the blockade "until an agreement is signed."
(Unioneonline)
