“Distrust prevails”: The Washington Post reports on the talks between Iran and the United States
Distrust prevails – The Washington Post reports on the talks between Iran and the United StatesThe Washington Post reported on Saturday that long – awaited talks are set to begin in Islamabad, where the United States and Iran are seeking a way to end the war. The Iranian and American delegations arrived in Islamabad for talks on ending the war in Iran, days after the two sides agreed to a fragile ceasefire.
The report, translated by Al-Maalomah News Agency, stated that “the two sides exchanged accusations of violating the ceasefire until the last moments before the talks began. Iran criticized the continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon, asserting that the ceasefire should have included that front as well.”
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who heads the Iranian delegation, said that two measures “agreed upon by both sides have not yet been implemented”—namely, a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of frozen Iranian assets. He added in a post on the X website, “These two matters must be implemented before negotiations can begin.”
US Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Pakistan for talks described by the Pakistani prime minister, who is hosting them, as “crucial” for permanently ending weeks of fighting in the Middle East. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a televised address, said the ceasefire between Iran and the United States was at a critical juncture, describing the negotiations as entering a difficult phase as both sides sought to move from a temporary truce to a permanent agreement.
While mistrust is expected to permeate the talks, diplomats in the region pointed to the composition of the delegations as a reason for optimism about the chances of reaching an agreement. Both Iran and the United States sent larger and higher-level delegations to the talks in Pakistan compared to the delegations sent to the nuclear negotiations between the two sides.
Almaalomah.me