Iranian delegation arrives in Islamabad for truce talks, insists on preconditions being met

Posted on by
1

Iran’s Majlis (Parliament) Speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf

Press TV

A high-ranking Iranian delegation has arrived in the Pakistani capital Islamabad for talks with US representatives, as Tehran warns that any failure to meet its preconditions will derail the process.

Headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf, the delegation, which includes security, political, military, economic, and legal committees, arrived in Islamabad on Friday night.

Other Iranian officials on the delegation include Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Secretary of the Supreme National Defense Council Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, as well as several members of parliament.

US Vice President JD Vance, Washington’s regional envoy Steve Witkoff, and President Donald Trump’s advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner have also reached Islamabad.

Trump announced a two-week lull in US attacks on Iran on Tuesday, 40 days after the country joined the Israeli regime in the duo’s latest bout of unprovoked aggression towards Iran.

The announcement came after Iran’s Armed Forces unleashed at least 99 waves of determined and successful retaliatory strikes against sensitive and strategic American and Israeli targets throughout the region.

Earlier on Friday, Qalibaf said a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets were the prerequisites to be met before the commencement of negotiations with the United States.

A 10-point proposal forwarded by Iran, which Trump has referred to as a “workable basis on which to negotiate and the main framework for these talks,” explicitly conditions a ceasefire on the cessation of aggression on all fronts, including against Lebanon.

[…]

Via https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/04/10/766611/Iran-talks-United-States-Pakistan-Islamabad-Qalibaf-Araghchi-Vance-Witkoff-Kushner

US Soldiers in Middle East Have No Direction, No Strategy, No Plan B

Posted on by
2

By Helena Glass

Trump has announced that 100,000 troops stationed across Europe will come back to the US to punish Europe for not bombing Iran.

Additionally, given many bases in the Middle East were leveled, as in completely uninhabitable, leaving those 30,000+ troops to be reassigned as well.

Where will they go? US bases have been in various stages of extremely uninhabitable to barely habitable due to mold, dirty water, and lack of repairs or maintenance.

As a result, soldiers share housing, while others seek affordable off-base shelter. So where exactly will Trump and Hegseth put an additional 130,000 soldiers?

Will European bases be abandoned? Germany alone hosts 20 bases housing 35,000 troops. The threats continue while the logistics are not considered. The bases across Europe were established as central to bomb Middle East and African countries as a Defense hub. Defense has been renamed War by Trump. Because the only country America ‘defends’ is Israel.

The entire concept of NATO is no longer relevant and hasn’t been for decades. Getting out of NATO was actually one of Trump’s original campaign promises. In essence, our military really has no purpose because purpose is written as War. If we bring home troops, put them to work ‘building’ – housing, roads, bridges, running farms, mitigating climate disasters, giving their lives purpose. Giving them respect. Allowing them integrity. Supporting honor.

The US military spends millions on unused office buildings. Wasting money for absolutely no reason. They don’t negotiate leases, they pay top dollar, driving up the market. AI will ultimately destroy commercial real estate. A given statistic. Mitigate what is inevitable. Office buildings are easily convertible into housing units.  Unused land on bases are now open on the private market for building data centers. Other bases are abandoned due to hazardous waste; asbestos and lead paint. Bulldoze them!

The underuse of the military is criminal. While their routine is guided by ‘war readiness’ they could instead be productively used to rebuild a decaying country. Returning pride to what has become a pariah enterprise. Hegseth hired an additional 30,000 troops. Why? Prepping for war?

Today, the newest saving face dilemma is Israel broke the peace deal within minutes of its announcement sending over 200 bombs into Lebanon and killing 254 people within less than an hours time. Defying Trump. Defying the deal. And announcing that he never agreed to anything – and is not a party to the peace. Trump has options:

1) move all troops out of the Middle East and let Israel and Iran duke it out alone.

2) lie and claim Iran broke the deal.

3) lie and claim the peace deal never included Lebanon.

Unfortunately, Trump has a vested interest in Gaza, had vested interests in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, and is all over the Epstein Files which Israel is using to completely destroy Trump’s narcissistic ‘legacy’. In Trump world, money is everything. It supersedes family, America, Americans, and just about everything – except Trump’s obsession with being the Greatest President Ever in the history books, which is why he requires his name prominent on monuments, arches, ballrooms, concert halls, dollar bills, etc.

Right now, Israel has Trump chained. Hegseth lied to the people about the rescue operation. Many more soldiers have died than the White House figure of 15. The wounded are not even counted. Bases are flattened and the war is one ginormous veritable failure. Yes-men Generals do NOT win wars, they create them. In an attempt to regain some semblance of posterity, Trump was going to announce his dropping out of NATO to punish Europe.

Now Trump faces a failed peace deal and a closed Strait yet again while already capitulating that Iran could charge $2 million per passage. Clawing out of this massive hole is going to require – TRUTH.   

It is quite possible the entire military could call mutiny. The Pentagon is likely in a frenzy closing down any potential leaks of Truth while ascertaining a means and way of saving face for Trump. Which does not seem likely. Iran’s talented media ops continue to release their LEGO version of what is actually happening in contrast to Hegseth, Leavitt, and Trump. Influencers are mocked. JD Vance, the anointed Catholic, is lying thru his teeth – and EVERYONE KNOWS IT!

The Feeds that were CIA and DoD propaganda have lost the PR War. Italy’s Meloni is raging about lost oil, the UK, Germany and France are close behind with rationing expected. And in that sense, Iran has already won. Europe wants to wholly abandon any relationship with America in order to plead for Iran’s mercy. Putin shakes his head.  Jinping gives that barest hint of a smile. And Trump’s Zionist financiers are screaming for him to do something!

Trump tweets. Leaving behind a trail of evidence for each lie. Leaving troops in harms way. Abandoning his duty as Commander and Chief. Hegseth is lost in his limbo world of denial – leaving 50,000 US troops in the Middle East as potential fodder from both Israeli and Iranian fire. General Dan Caine is mumbling incoherently. And Plan B was apparently never discussed. They have NO PLAN B, which is why Hegseth fired some 20 to 30 Generals – they demanded strategy and Hegseth demanded ‘wing it’.

Bring our troops home to build instead of destroy!

[…]

Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/us-soldiers-in-middle-east-have-no-direction-no-strategy-no-plan-b/5921797

Trump Claims Netanyahu Will Scale Back Strikes on Lebanon

Posted on by
1

Vance en route to Pakistan for high-stakes talks with Tehran (VIDEOS/PHOTOS)

Civilians inspect a residential building in ruins after an Israeli strike hits Corniche Al-Mazraa district in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 09, 2026. © Getty Images

HP McLovincraft

US President Donald Trump has said he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back the bombing of Lebanon as Gulf countries and some NATO members insisted that a ceasefire in the area must be part of a broader truce with Iran.

Despite Trump’s assertion, Lebanese media reported Israeli strikes across the country on Friday morning. An estimated 1,800 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the start of the escalation in the Middle East, with more than 300 dying on Wednesday alone. The attacks triggered significant public outcry, including from US allies in the EU.

Iran has insisted that fighting in Lebanon must cease as part of the two-week truce framework with the US – something Washington and the Jewish state have opposed.The exact outlines of a potential US-Iran peace deal remain unclear, after Iranian media shared a plan envisaging non-aggression, Tehran’s control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, acceptance of some uranium enrichment, stopping Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, and the lifting of all sanctions. The US previously opposed many of the terms.

[…]

Via https://hellboundanddown.com/2026/04/10/trump-claims-netanyahu-will-scale-back-strikes-on-lebanon/

White House ‘signed off’ on Pakistan’s declaration that Iran ceasefire included Lebanon

Posted on by
2
(Photo credit: EPA)

The Cradle

APR 9, 2026

Washington later denied that Lebanon was included in the deal after Israel massacred hundreds of civilians in the country

The White House was directly involved in “shaping” the ceasefire announcement by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, having reviewed and approved it before publication, according to a New York Times (NYT) report on 8 April.

The report says Washington saw and signed off on the statement in advance, indicating that the announcement was not an independent diplomatic move but part of coordinated communication.

US President Donald Trump had issued an 8:00 pm deadline on Tuesday for Iran to surrender, saying that he would erase an entire civilization if Tehran did not agree to his terms for a deal.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” the president wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

The NYT report notes that, behind the scenes, US officials were actively seeking a way out as the deadline approached, even as US President Donald Trump was threatening Iran with annihilation if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz.

It asserts that diplomatic channels were far more active than the public messaging indicated, with the ceasefire appeal reflecting a managed effort rather than a spontaneous initiative.

Sharif’s post itself had appeared earlier with the header “Draft – Pakistan’s PM Message on X,” fueling speculation that the text had been provided externally before publication. It called for extending the deadline by two weeks, reopening the Strait of Hormuz as a “goodwill gesture,” and implementing a temporary ceasefire across all fronts.

Iran’s 10-point plan includes US non-aggression, sanctions removal, compensation, troop withdrawal, uranium enrichment, and Iranian control of Hormuz, alongside a halt to fighting across all fronts, directly naming Lebanon.

The Pakistani premier’s statement on X explicitly stated that “the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.”

It concluded by welcoming the move, thanking the leadership of both sides, and inviting their delegations to Islamabad for further talks, while tagging Trump and senior US officials.

JD Vance later said the US never promised to include Lebanon in the ceasefire, claiming Iran’s belief that it was included came from a “misunderstanding.”

Israeli forces launched a large-scale assault across Beirut and other areas in Lebanon, hours after the ceasefire announcement, killing at least 254 people and wounding over 1,100, according to the Lebanese Civil Defense, with more casualties being retrieved and identified.

[…]

Via https://thecradle.co/articles/white-house-signed-off-on-pakistans-declaration-that-iran-ceasefire-included-lebanon-report

Iran forced Israel to halt attacks on Beirut by threatening to withdraw from talks with US

Posted on by
1

Heavy equipment operates at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 9, Pr2026. (Photo by Reuters)

Press TV

Intense pressure and the threat to withdraw from talks with the United States in Islamabad from Tehran forced the Zionist regime to stop its military attacks on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, a high-ranking security source told Press TV on Friday.

According to the source, following the Zionist regime’s brutal aggression on Lebanon on Wednesday, Iran made the cessation of those attacks a firm precondition for its participation in temporary ceasefire negotiations with the United States.

“The unity of the resistance front was non-negotiable for Iran,” the source told Press TV.

He hastened to add that the travel of an Iranian delegation to Islamabad was delayed a few times, specifically due to the continued Israeli aggression against Lebanon.

Through persistent insistence and a credible threat to walk out of the talks, Iran forced the United States to compel the Zionist regime to halt its strikes on Beirut, the source added.

He further emphasized that the continuation of negotiations is also contingent on the Zionist regime refraining from attacking Beirut and its southern suburb of Dahieh.

Iran issued a clear warning that the persistence of Zionist attacks on Lebanon could ultimately void the negotiation process altogether.

Faced with Iran’s unwavering insistence and a genuine threat to walk away from the negotiating table, the United States was compelled to intervene, the source stated.

“The Americans were forced to make the Zionist regime halt its assaults on Beirut,” he told Press TV.

However, the source emphasized that the pause in military aggression is conditional. The continuation of any future talks remains contingent on the Zionist regime refraining from further attacks on Beirut and its southern suburb, Dahieh.

He warned, in unequivocal terms, that should the brutal regime violate this understanding and resume bombing Beirut, the negotiations will be terminated immediately.

After 40 days of unrelenting US-Israeli aggression that began on February 28, the United States on Wednesday accepted Iran’s 10-point proposal as the foundation for a permanent ceasefire.

One of the key points in the proposal is the cessation of aggression on all fronts, including against the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon (Hezbollah).

However, just hours after the ceasefire was announced on Wednesday, the Israeli regime launched devastating strikes on multiple areas of Lebanon, including Beirut, killing nearly 250 civilians — among them women and children.

Iran immediately vowed to retaliate against this serious breach of the ceasefire, emphasizing that the Lebanese front is an integral part of the Axis of Resistance, explicitly mentioned in the 10-point proposal.

Iran and the United States are expected to hold talks in Islamabad on Friday to discuss the proposal, which also calls for halting US-Israeli aggression and lifting sanctions against Iran.

[…]

Via https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/04/10/766596/iran-forced-israel-halt-attacks-beirut-threatening-withdraw-from-talks-source

Iran’s Biolabs Face Imminent Containment Failure

Posted on by
2

By Nicolas Hulscher
Global Research, April 08, 2026
[…]
President Trump has given Iran until Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET (today) [now extended] to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of every power plant and bridge in the country. At a White House press conference, he said:

“Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again.”

Iran’s known and suspected biological weapons facilities depend on the same power grids and transport links that the White House has promised to destroy. If “Power Plant Day” happens, the consequence nobody is discussing is this: multiple dual-use biological facilities in Iran face simultaneous containment failure.

How Infrastructure Strikes Trigger Biolab Failure

Biological agents stored in research facilities require constant refrigeration, negative-pressure ventilation, and trained personnel oversight. These are not optional — they are the systems that prevent pathogens from escaping into the environment. Destroy the power grid and you destroy the cold chain. Destroy the bridges and you cut off the personnel who maintain containment. The biolab doesn’t need to be struck directly. The containment fails on its own.

Although these facilities typically have on-site emergency diesel generators and battery backup systems, these redundancies are designed only for short-term outages. Generator fuel supplies usually last between 24 and 72 hours at most. When power plants across the country are destroyed and key bridges are severed, diesel resupply becomes impossible, maintenance crews cannot reach the sites, and personnel may be unable or unwilling to remain on duty amid the chaos. Once the backup systems fail, negative pressure ventilation collapses, refrigeration units warm up, and biological containment is lost — even without any direct strike on the laboratories themselves.

If containment fails, materials that could be released include anthrax, plague bacteria (Yersinia pestis), botulinum toxin, and aflatoxin — agents repeatedly linked by U.S. intelligence and NCRI reports to Iran’s dual-use programs. Some facilities are also suspected of bioregulator research for incapacitating or lethal effects. While many cited agents have limited person-to-person spread, pneumonic plague is highly contagious and has caused past pandemics; it could trigger rapid regional or global outbreaks. Due to dual-use cover and limited transparency, secret or genetically modified pathogens with enhanced transmissibility or virulence cannot be ruled out.

Iran’s Biological Weapons Infrastructure

Iran almost certainly possesses biological weapons research capabilities. The U.S. State Department has assessed that Tehran retains the flexibility to convert legitimate research into lethal biological weapons production. The ODNI assessed in March 2025 that Iran “very likely” aims to continue R&D of biological agents for offensive purposes. These capabilities sit within a network of military-affiliated universities, IRGC-linked research centers, and dual-use pharmaceutical institutions — deliberately embedded in civilian infrastructure to blur the line between public health and weapons work.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists confirmed that the Shahid Meisami Research Complex, Imam Hussein University, and Malek Ashtar University have all sustained strike damage across the 2025 and 2026 campaigns. The Pasteur Institute — Iran’s century-old vaccine and infectious disease center, but also flagged by Japan and Britain as a biological weapons proliferation concern — was severely damaged on April 2.

.

Biological containment depends on electricity, refrigeration, ventilation, and personnel access — all of which collapse when you destroy a country’s power grid and bridges. If “Power Plant Day” happens tonight, multiple dual-use biological facilities in Iran could face simultaneous containment failure.

[…]

Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/iran-biolabs-face-imminent-containment-failure/5921636

Hands Off Venezuela: Historic Stance at the United Nations against US Imperialism

Posted on by
Reply
Ambassadors at the UN
By Carla Stea
April 06, 2026

Of utmost relevance to unfolding events marks by acts of U.S illegal invasions of sovereign nation states and member states of the United Nations, not mention the the deliberate killing of civilians in violation of the UN Charter and the Laws of Armed Conflict (LAOC)

In a spectacular display of solidarity and strength, envoys from such distant capitals as Beijing and Havana, Moscow and Tehran, Pyongyang and Caracas, Damascus and Managua and numerous other states stood together, side by side, in front of the United Nations Security Council, declaring their determination to protect the UN Charter and International Law, and holding sacrosanct the sovereignty and inviolability of each member state.

All these present, and approximately 50 more aligned, are states whose combined populations comprise more than half the people of the world, and all have been victimized and pauperized by the predations of neoliberal capitalist states bleeding the wealth of their peoples.

As Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza read out their new statement, declaring the illegality of unilateral coercive economic sanctions, and territorial invasions, it became obvious that the power of this new solidarity, which includes China, Russia, Cuba, DPRK, Syria, Iran, Palestine, Nicaragua, Venezuela, etc. constitutes a formidable force which Western capitalism will antagonize at its own peril.

This is a long overdue counterforce to Western domination of the United Nations, a domination based on money, on the large payments enabling the US and other capitalist powers to bribe, threaten and otherwise control the direction of the UN, and distort and destroy the independence, impartiality and integrity which the UN requires in order to maintain its legitimacy, and implement the sustained global peace and justice for which Franklin Delano Roosevelt created it

Since the collapse of the USSR it has become blatantly clear at the UN (and virtually everywhere else) that money talks – indeed money shrieks .

It therefore now seems obvious that the combined UN dues of these newly affiliated nations probably exceeds the contributions of the United States to the United Nations, and, if skillfully managed, this new organization of hitherto ravaged states will now have the power to threaten to withhold their combined dues, threatening a strike would could paralyze the United Nations unless their own interests, and not solely the interest of the United States and Saudi Arabia, are respected, and their own voices honored. There is incessant talk of the need for reform of the United Nations. It is probable that this new organization within the UN is the reform that is necessary – indeed inevitable.

[…]

Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/hands-off-venezuela-historic-stance-at-the-united-nations-against-us-imperialism/5668780

Iran restricts Hormuz access to 15 vessels per day under ceasefire terms

Posted on by
Reply
(Photo credit: AP)

The Cradle

Iran will restrict maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to fewer than 15 vessels per day under a Pakistani-brokered ceasefire with the US, a senior Iranian source told Russia’s state-run TASS on 9 April, outlining the conditions for the ceasefire’s continuation.

“Under the current ceasefire, fewer than 15 ships per day are permitted to transit the Strait of Hormuz. This movement is strictly contingent upon Iran’s approval and the enforcement of a specific protocol,” the source said.

“This new regulatory framework, operating under the supervision of the IRGC, has been officially communicated to regional parties. There will be no return to the pre-war status quo,” the source added.

The same official linked the arrangement to broader demands, stating that “the unfreezing of Iran’s blocked assets is a critical executive guarantee that must be realized within this two-week timeframe.”

Tehran has also tied the ceasefire to international backing.

“If the termination of the war is not codified into a UN Security Council resolution based on our stipulated terms, we are fully prepared to resume combat against the US and the Zionist regime … and with even greater intensity,” the source said.

In parallel, Iran insisted that Washington refrain from increasing troop deployments during the truce, while maintaining its right to uranium enrichment.

“Regarding uranium enrichment – we remain committed strictly to the text of the exchanged agreement and are actively holding to it,” the source added.

On 7 April, US President Donald Trump announced a “two-week mutual ceasefire,” describing Iran’s demands as a “working basis” for negotiations and linking the pause in hostilities to reopening Hormuz.

Tehran, in turn, agreed to halt “defensive attacks” on the condition that no strikes target the country.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited both sides to Islamabad on 10 April for talks, which Iranian state television said are expected to be direct.

[…]

Via https://thecradle.co/articles/iran-restricts-hormuz-access-to-15-vessels-per-day-under-ceasefire-terms-report

Moscow backs Tehran on status of Lebanon in US-Iran deal

Posted on by
Reply
Moscow backs Tehran on status of Lebanon in US-Iran deal
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. ©  Yuri Kochetkov;  RIA Novosti

RT

Moscow believes the US-Iran ceasefire has a regional dimension and extends to Lebanon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi in a phone call on Thursday, according to a readout.

Lavrov stated that Russia fully supports the cessation of hostilities between the US and Iran and Israel’s accession to those agreements. He expressed hope for the success of the upcoming negotiations and reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to help “overcome the consequences of the unprovoked US‑Israeli aggression against Iran and ensure long-term peace and sustainable security in the region.”

The Russian minister also emphasized that Moscow “firmly believes that these agreements, as announced by the Pakistani mediators, have a regional dimension and, in particular, extend to Lebanon.”

Israel has insisted that Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire deal and said it intends to continue operations in the country, where it has conducted extensive airstrikes and launched a ground invasion.

Shortly after the US-Iranian ceasefire was announced, the Israeli military said it carried out its largest wave of strikes on Lebanon since the war began, hitting approximately 100 targets across the country in just ten minutes.

More than 1,700 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, and over 5,800 have been wounded, including hundreds of women and children, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

Iran has made clear that Lebanon must be included in any cessation of hostilities. It has also warned that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed to shipping until Israel commits to a ceasefire on all fronts.

Araghchi thanked Lavrov for Russia’s “principled position” during UN Security Council meetings on the situation in the Persian Gulf, according to the ministry. The two diplomats also discussed broader regional security issues.

Moscow has consistently condemned the US‑Israeli campaign against Iran, which began on February 28. Russia has called for de‑escalation and a diplomatic solution, while accusing Washington of violating international law.

The Kremlin has also criticized Israel’s strikes on Lebanon, including a March attack on a Russian cultural center in the southern city of Nabatieh.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/russia/637858-lavrov-araghchi-ceasefire-deal/