U.S. talks with Iran are still on despite tests of ceasefire
WASHINGTON— Key talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan this weekend may depend on developments in Lebanon, where continued Israeli attacks on Thursday risk derailing a broader regional ceasefire.
Tensions deepened further as reports emerged of limited Iranian drone strikes on the region and Arab states warned that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route, had only partially reopened, despite President Trump’s assurances that Tehran had guaranteed full access.
But the ceasefire tests did not deter Iranian and American officials from plans to travel to Pakistan on Saturday for top-level talks aimed at reaching a final agreement to end the war between the two countries, which is in its sixth week.
The risks are great for Iran, which has been hit by US attacks, and for Trump, whose pursuit of war is not well-liked within the country. The plan appeared unstable early Thursday due to ongoing disagreement over whether the ceasefire covers Lebanon.
Iran has warned that Israel’s attacks targeting militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon could jeopardize a two-day ceasefire if it continues. Hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government would begin direct negotiations with Lebanon, but later announced that he would not stop attacks there.
The move to negotiate with the Lebanese came a day after President Trump asked Netanyahu to slow down operations in Lebanon ahead of talks with Pakistan, a source familiar with the matter told The Times. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters on Thursday that the start of talks would depend on the end of hostilities in Lebanon.
Israel’s stance towards Lebanon added uncertainty to the situation on Thursday, while the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran agreed to reopen in the ceasefire agreement, remained closed, according to United Arab Emirates government minister Sultan Al Jaber. Traffic in the strait on Thursday was below 10% of normal volume, with only seven ships transiting in a 24-hour period. Reuters reported.
But Trump on Thursday projected optimism about weekend talks in Islamabad, even as the U.S. stance appeared to have weakened.
Trump said, “I talked to Bibi and he will simplify the issue. I think we need to be a little simpler.” In an interview with NBC News. He said he was “very optimistic” that a deal would be reached with Iran.
A White House official said Vice President JD Vance will lead the US delegation, which will also include special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. These will be the highest-level talks between the United States and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
An Israeli official said that talks with Lebanon, which will be held separately by Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to Washington, will begin next week at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A State Department official confirmed the agency would host the talks.
Israel is not a direct party to the weekend talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan. However, the Israeli official said, “The United States knows our red lines on nuclear disarmament, proxy forces and ballistic missile production.” “We believe we are on the same page here.”
The ceasefire agreement signed between the USA and Iran on Tuesday night came after 39 days of conflict in the region, which started with Trump’s attack on Iran on February 28. Full terms have not been made public, and much about the deal remains unclear.
The deal went like this a shaky start Wednesday: The strait remained confined as the Iranians accused the Americans of violating the agreement, and it emerged that the United States and Israel were at odds with Iran over whether Lebanon was part of the ceasefire.
Trump threatened on his social media website late Wednesday that if Iran does not comply with the ceasefire, “‘The Shooting’ Begins will be bigger, better and stronger than anyone has ever seen before.”
The deal’s status became even more fragile as dawn came on Thursday and Iran said Israeli strikes on Lebanon overnight violated the agreement. European leaders and Pakistan’s prime minister, who is mediating US-Iran talks, warned that the operations could put the ceasefire at risk.
“This is a dangerous deception and a sign of lack of commitment to potential agreements,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said. in question Thursday. “Continuation of these actions will make negotiations meaningless.”
Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammed Bagir Galibaf, warned He said Lebanon was an “integral part” of the deal and said any move Iran saw as a violation of the ceasefire would have “clear costs”.
Israel and the United States have said Lebanon, which Israel says targets Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, is not part of the ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu said in a statement on Thursday evening that he was continuing the negotiations at the request of the Lebanese government.
“There is no ceasefire in Lebanon. We continue to hit Hezbollah with all our strength and we will not stop until we establish your security,” he said.
Also Thursday, House Republicans rejected an attempt by Democrats to vote to limit Trump’s war powers. Expressing their concerns about Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization on Easter Sunday and saying that his statement amounted to a war crimes threat, Democratic leaders later called on Congress President Mike Johnson (R-La.) to call Congress back into session.
Meanwhile, on his social media website, Trump railed against conservative figures critical of his approach to the war, including former Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, calling them “stupid people” and declaring that the US “NOW IS THE ‘HOTEST’ COUNTRY EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD!”
He also continued to attack NATO members for failing to meet his expectations in helping him fight the war in Iran. In a post earlier Thursday, the president said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was “very disappointing” and suggested the United States should pressure its allies to respond to their needs.
This follows a meeting with NATO Secretary Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday afternoon; Then Trump said online, “NATO WAS NOT THERE WHEN WE NEEDED IT, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE WHEN WE NEED IT AGAIN.”
In an interview with CNN, Rutte said Trump had made clear his disappointment with NATO allies. Rutte said he emphasized to Trump that the vast majority of European countries provide some logistical military assistance to the United States, such as allowing American warplanes to land at their bases and fly over their territories.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 303 people were killed and about 1,150 injured in Israel’s surprise airstrike on Wednesday. He added that the numbers will likely increase as the search for bodies and DNA testing continues.
If direct negotiations with Israel take place, they would break a long-standing political taboo for Lebanon. Successive governments have been interested in Israeli diplomats just enough to allow technical talks with Lebanese military officials through the United Nations.
The prospect of direct negotiations is likely to trigger fierce opposition from Hezbollah and its political ally, the Lebanese Shiite party Amal.
Both parties, which together form the so-called Shiite Duo, join a power bloc in parliament and hold key positions in the Lebanese Cabinet, are already in a battle of wills with the Lebanese government, which has declared the recently appointed ambassador to Iran persona non grata and ordered him to leave.
Amal and Hezbollah officials told the ambassador candidate to stay in Lebanon and called on the government to reverse this decision. He is staying at the embassy in Beirut.
McDaniel and Wilner reported from Washington, while Bulos reported from Amman, Jordan. Times writer Ana Ceballos in Washington contributed to this report.
