U.S. Vice President Joe Biden welcomed the opportunity to hold high-level ceasefire negotiations directly with Iran, from the location of his recent trip to Pakistan, on Saturday. The negotiations are being facilitated by Pakistan, which will hold individual meetings with both the U.S. and Iranian delegations before possible trilateral negotiations.
On the Iranian side, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is leading the delegation along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other deputy ministers from the Iranian government. The Vice President has warned Iran not to “play” with the U.S., emphasizing that both sides must conduct their negotiations in good faith. The Vice President described this process as possibly being a “positive” experience, although there will likely be a lot of confusion as it progresses.
Some of the key points of contention will include re-opening the Strait of Hormuz (unconditionally) as well as unfreezing Iranian assets (which will probably be a key point of contention). Other points of contention may be stopping Israel from attacking Lebanon. Iran has signaled that their “fingers are still on the trigger,” and they are not going to yield about their sovereign rights. The U.S. has indicated that it has not agreed to release any frozen Iranian assets.
Even though it has been agreed upon for nearly two weeks, the ceasefire now appears almost broken due to continuing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as well as more frequent airstrikes in both Gaza and southern Lebanon by Israeli defensive forces. Should all go according to plan, analysts believe that Islamabad’s success could promote a stable and secure Middle East, and reduce global oil supply pressures, distrust between both parties creates significant impediments to their success. At this point in time, it appears Islamabad is using its close associations with both countries (Lebanon and Israel) as a means of serving as a neutral mediator between both parties.
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