Amid the ongoing uncertainty over the second round of peace negotiations in Islamabad, the Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei-led clerical regime in Iran appears to be divided into two factions, with the country’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, reportedly criticising hardliners for opposing a potential deal with the United States.
According to a report by Iran International, Ghalibaf, who also led the Iranian delegation during the first round of talks in Islamabad, described Saeed Jalili, a member of Iran’s National Security Council, and hardline Iranian MP Amirhossein Sabeti as “extremist militia-like actors who would destroy Iran.”
During a meeting of security advisers to discuss the possible second round of negotiations in Islamabad, Ghalibaf said that the camp was “using state television and mobilizing hardline supporters to intensify opposition to negotiations and a possible deal with the United States.”
The report further claimed that Ghalibaf also expressed concerns that he and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi could also be removed from their posts.
The report comes amid the ongoing uncertainty over the second round of talks. US President Donald Trump has announced that a US delegation led by Vice-President JD Vance will go to Pakistan for Iran talks planned for Monday evening.
However, Iran has not confirmed taking part in the negotiations. “As of now… we have no plans for the next round of negotiations, and no decision has been made in this regard,” spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, according to AFP.
According to reports, US President Donald Trump has spoken to Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir. During the talks, Munir reportedly conveyed to Trump that the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is hampering the talks with Iran.
Trump, according to Pakistani officials, told Munir that he will consider his advice on the blockade.
US and Iran held the first round of talks in Islamabad on April 11-12. The talks remained inconclusive as both sides failed to reach consensus on the key issue of Tehran’s nuclear program.
As per the reports, Iran had offered to suspend its nuclear activities for five years but the US was adamant on a 20-year suspension promise.
The US delegation is also believed to have pushed Iran to hand over the enriched uranium, a demand Tehran rejected outright, leading to the collapse of the talks.