Iranian authorities confirmed this Thursday that an official delegation from the country will land throughout the day in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, to establish diplomatic contacts with a view to closing an agreement with the United States, despite the "repeated violations of the ceasefire" attributed to Israel after the truce announced in the early hours of Wednesday.
"Despite the skepticism among the Iranian public opinion due to the repeated violations of the ceasefire by the Israeli regime to sabotage the diplomatic initiative, the Iranian delegation will arrive tonight in Islamabad, at the invitation of Shehbaz Sharif, for serious talks based on the ten points proposed by Iran", said the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moqadam, in a message on social media.
Sharif, Pakistani prime minister, made public on Wednesday a two-week ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States and extended an invitation to delegations from both countries to meet this Friday in Islamabad, with the aim of initiating contacts towards a definitive pact, after more than a month of Israeli-American offensive launched by surprise on February 28, amidst ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran on a new nuclear deal.
The head of the Government of Pakistan explained when announcing the pact that "Iran and the United States, along with their allies, agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and the rest of the places", although Israel maintained shortly after that Lebanese territory was outside the understanding and launched its largest bombing campaign against the country, with a toll of more than 250 dead and around a thousand injured.
The White House spokesperson, Karoline Levitt, later stated that Lebanon was not part of the agreement, amid criticism and warnings from Iran, which recalled the message disseminated by Sharif, promoter of mediation efforts to curb the escalation, and emphasized that Lebanon is explicitly included, despite later rectifications by Israel and the United States.
In parallel, Tehran announced the downing of two Israeli drones that would have penetrated its airspace and denounced that these incidents also constituted violations of the ceasefire, warning that it would respond if they are repeated.
Sharif himself admitted hours later "violations of the ceasefire in some places along the conflict zone" and maintained that these episodes "undermine the spirit of the peace process." "I earnestly and sincerely ask all parties to show restraint and respect the two-week ceasefire, as agreed, so that diplomacy can assume a leading role towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict."
Doubts about the solidity of the ceasefire are fueled by the conflicting positions on the Iranian nuclear program, in particular by the United States' refusal to allow Iran to continue enriching uranium, one of the ten points disseminated by Tehran as a basis that Washington would have accepted for negotiation. US President Donald Trump has in recent hours gone so far as to call that proposal a "hoax," despite having previously considered it a "viable basis for negotiation."
On the other hand, Islamabad authorities announced late on Wednesday that April 9 and 10 will be "local holidays," coinciding with the expected arrival of the United States and Iran delegations and with the date set for the talks, without offering a clear justification for this last-minute decision.
The commissioner of the Islamabad District Administration specified on social media that the festive days "will be limited to the Islamabad Capital Territory" and added that "essential services will remain operational," without providing further explanations.
The US delegation will be led by the vice president, JD Vance, as confirmed Wednesday by the White House, amid growing international calls for a negotiated agreement that ends the offensive against Iran, which has triggered a crisis in the Middle East with strong repercussions on the global economy.