ISTANBUL, April 10 — Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh confirmed Thursday that a delegation from Tehran will head to Pakistan for peace talks with the United States, amid ongoing tensions over deadly Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing BBC Radio 4.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Khatibzadeh said Iran remains “very much focused on getting this done” as negotiations with the United States are “within our national interests”. He added that “back-and-forth messages” between both sides continued through Pakistan overnight.
Khatibzadeh said he understands that US Vice President JD Vance is expected to lead the American delegation, while Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf is likely to head the Iranian team.
The deputy foreign minister accused Israel of committing a “grave violation” of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, stressing that Lebanon was included in the two-week deal.
“You cannot ask for a ceasefire… and then your ally just starts a massacre,” he said, adding that Iran had sent a “crystal clear” message to the White House.
He also warned that the United States “must choose between war and ceasefire”, saying the two are “mutually exclusive”.
Khatibzadeh described Hezbollah as a “Lebanese freedom movement” that receives Iranian support, insisting that it had “abided” by the ceasefire terms.
He added that Iran expects all parties in the region to respect the agreement and called on Washington to ensure its allies do the same.
Despite the escalation, Khatibzadeh indicated that Tehran remains committed to diplomacy, saying Iran is focused on “the wellbeing of the whole West Asia” as the talks move forward.
Separately, Khatibzadeh said that Iran was “on the verge of responding” to the ceasefire violations by Israel against Lebanon, but Pakistan intervened,” according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
“Any peace in the region must include Lebanon, and the coming hours are highly critical,” he said.
