Doubts persist Tuesday about the resumption of American-Iranian discussions in Pakistan, in the absence of official confirmation of delegations being sent by the conflicting parties, who are escalating mutual threats as the ceasefire expiration approaches.
In Iran, state television stated on Tuesday that “so far, no Iranian delegation has left for Islamabad.” Participation in the negotiations will depend on “changes in behavior and position” by the United States, according to anonymous Iranian officials.
On the American side, a source close to the matter had informed AFP on Monday afternoon that a negotiating team was set to depart for Pakistan “soon,” but no official confirmation has been received yet.
Implemented on April 8, in a war that has caused thousands of deaths in the Middle East and shaken the global economy, the truce between Washington and Tehran is set to conclude “Wednesday night, American time,” as declared by Donald Trump. The deadline was originally scheduled for Tuesday night to Wednesday, Tehran time.
The American president, who has issued ultimatums and contradictory statements since the beginning of the war, added in a statement to Bloomberg that an extension of the ceasefire was “highly unlikely.”
If American demands are not met before the end of the ceasefire, “a lot of bombs will explode,” he further warned on the PBS network.
He reaffirmed his intention to maintain the blockade on Iranian ports “until there is a +DEAL+ with Tehran,” claiming that Iran is losing “500 million dollars a day, an unsustainable figure even in the short term.”
“At least 26 ships from the Iranian ghost fleet have circumvented the American blockade” since it was imposed last week, as reported by maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
Returning to the nuclear issue, the trigger of the conflict, Mr. Trump stated on his Truth social network that uncovering Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium would be a “long and difficult process.” He had claimed on Friday that Iran had agreed to hand over its stockpile, a claim denied by Tehran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons and asserts its right to civilian nuclear power.
“We do not negotiate under threat and, over the past two weeks, we have been preparing to play new cards on the ground,” affirmed Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, President of the Islamic Republic’s Parliament.
In Tehran, where major airports reopened on Monday after several weeks, life has returned to normal, with crowded cafes, athletes, and visitors in the parks.
Mobina Rasoulian, a 19-year-old student, enjoyed the respite brought by the ceasefire to the fullest.
“For Saghar, 39, there is no light at the end of the tunnel,” as she pointed out the horrible economic situation and increasing executions by authorities.
Oil prices fell on Tuesday after surging the previous day due to heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime passage for global oil supply blocked by both Iran and the United States.
Progressing to another front of the conflict, new direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place on Thursday in Washington, as announced by American diplomacy. Similar to the initial talks on April 14, they will be held at the ambassadorial level.
A fragile 10-day ceasefire has been in effect since Friday between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah in Lebanon, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
Israel aims to disarm Hezbollah through “military and diplomatic means,” stated Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday.
Official reports reveal that 2,387 people have been killed in Lebanon in six weeks of war.
