Islamabad Talks - News & Discussions

[mythbuster]

Game is being played.

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America has hyped up the talks and now is a prisoner of her own hype ...Iran would like to extract every bit of concessions it can.

 

[Meengla]

Cynics can call the U.S. decision to blockade Iranian ports in the middle of a ceasefire improvisatory. But one man’s improvisation is another’s adaptiveness. Whatever else one might say about the blockade, it has stopped Iran from dictating the tempo and terms of events in global energy markets — the last point of Iranian leverage over the West.
Maybe that helps create the conditions for a satisfactory cessation of hostilities. Perhaps it sets the stage for the fighting to resume when the cease-fire sunsets on Tuesday night. What is certain is that the U.S. is once again in control of the rhythm of events in the Strait of Hormuz.

You could benefit from the first 20 minutes of the Chris Hedges and John Mearsheimer video I just posted above. The American blockade, after getting Iran to the negotiations, made no sense to John. Also, as the video says, Americans don't want to escalate--at least not the Trump administration, if he could withstand the Israel-firsters in America.

 

[ARMalik]

What Field Marshall and his team have achieved or will achieve is nothing short of once in a century historic moment ! The Brilliance and ingenuity behind this is monumental and so is this occassion. Who would have thought that a day will come when Pakistan will single-handedly change history.

 

[Khanviletey]

In my opinion, Pakistan miscalculated when it came to signing a defense pact with the Saudis.

The loans to UAE had to be repaid and that’s probably where Saudi stepped in and coupled with the defense pact, Pakistan may have been coerced.

Strategically, it makes absolutely no sense for Pakistan to fly its assets into Saudi while the US is there.

Why does it not make sense ?

 

[Meengla]

Iran faces a very clear choice:
1. Become a pro-Israel state like the Pahlavi era.
2. Fight it to the end if the Islamic regime wants to stay in power.
I am OK with both prospects. The Pahlavi Iran had its own advantages. The Imperial Air Force of Iran was a formidable force, one of the best-equipped and best-trained in the world. We had better music industry, better tourism industry, better energy infrastructure, people were happier and could travel abroad freely, there were no sanctions, people lived more prosperously, etc.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has had its own merits too. It is unpopular within Iran, but it has invested hugely in education and rural areas in its 47-years of ruling over Iran. It created drone and missile powers that are absolutely world class, etc.
Me, personally, and probably most Iranians, would prefer something between the two. A secular Iran that looks like the Pahlavi era, but with an anti-Israel system that maintains our sovereignty and independence. That isn't an option at the moment, unfortunately.
One thing is absolutely clear. Either the Islamic Republic of Iran survives and wins this war, or it has to surrender unconditionally eventually, and become a pro-Israel state that keeps the status quo at our own expense. It's pretty much a binary outcome at this point.

Very thoughtful post. I have heard since 1979, there has been considerable progress in Iran in education and rural uplift. I wish the social policies were more in line with modernity. The middle way is generally better. Pakistan is a very conservative Islamic country but the images I see in Iran--minus some places in Tehran-- makes Pakistan looks more 'progressive' than Iran.

 

[Solomon2]

You could benefit from the first 20 minutes of the Chris Hedges and John Mearsheimer video I just posted above. The American blockade, after getting Iran to the negotiations, made no sense to John. Also, as the video says, Americans don't want to escalate--at least not the Trump administration, if he could withstand the Israel-firsters in America.

Lots of things don't make sense to Mr. M.

Remember the geopolitical function Israel plays in the West: to redirect the millennia-long Islam/Christianity conflict to the Jews instead, as described in the 1943 book The Forgotten Ally. So if Israel disappears, the great conflict is exposed once more, yes? Unless "Islamic" countries seek peace instead, of course.

 

[ghazi52]

Trump blames Iran for ceasefire violations as talks for peace deal linger in uncertainty​

No Iranian delegation has travelled yet for second round of Islamabad talks, Iran state TV says

Reuters/Anadolu Agency
April 21, 2026

A view of Iranian-flagged cargo ship M/V Touska as the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer USS Spruance conducts its interception in a location given as the north Arabian Seaon April 19, 2026. Photo: Reuters

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday blamed Iran for ceasefire violations amid uncertainty over peace talks. 'Iran has violated the ceasefire numerous times,' Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The United States expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran would go ahead in Pakistan and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining, but significant hurdles and uncertainty remained as the end of a ceasefire approached.

US President Donald Trump wants an agreement that would prevent further oil price rises and stock market shocks but has insisted Iran cannot have the ‌means to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran hopes to leverage its control of the Strait of Hormuz to strike a deal that averts a restart of the war, eases sanctions, but does not impede its nuclear program.

 

[ghazi52]

Officials in Islamabad caution that the situation remains fluid amid heated rhetoric from both Washington and Tehran. According to people familiar with the plans, Vice President Vance is expected to depart Washington on Tuesday.

The second round of negotiations is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday (tomorrow), they said. However, the White House has not formally confirmed the timing but has indicated that the delegation is expected to travel soon.

"Things are moving forward, and the talks are on track for tomorrow," the source said on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity.

 

[ghazi52]

No Iranian delegation has travelled yet for 2nd Islamabad talks, Iran state TV says

No Iranian delegation has travelled to Pakistan so far to hold another round of talks with the US, Iran’s state-run broadcaster IRIB reported on Tuesday.

“So far, no Iranian delegation has travelled to Islamabad, Pakistan—neither the main delegation nor any subsidiary, primary, or secondary delegation,” the broadcaster said.

IRIB added that multiple media reports that an Iranian delegation would travel to Pakistan or that talks were scheduled for Monday evening or Tuesday morning “were untrue.”

The report also cited Iranian officials’ remarks from Sunday evening, indicating that “continuing participation in talks depends on changes in the behavior of the Americans” and that Tehran rejects negotiations “under the shadow of threats.”

 

[ghazi52]

Pakistan preparing for talks

Pakistan has set the stage for a high-stakes second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, likely to take place just hours before a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire expires on Wednesday.

Despite lingering uncertainty surrounding 'Islamabad Round 2' due to Iran's reluctance to formally confirm its participation, a US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance is set to travel to the federal capital along with senior officials.

There was some ambiguity about Vance's whereabouts, as President Donald Trump told the New York Post that Vance was already on his way to Islamabad, but White House officials said the vice president would depart on Tuesday, with talks expected on Wednesday.

While there was confusion over the exact timing of arrival, there was certainty that the US delegation would be coming. Iran, however, has maintained public suspense, even though developments on the ground in Islamabad suggest a different trajectory.

 

[ghazi52]

 

[Meengla]

Remember the geopolitical function Israel plays in the West: to redirect the millennia-long Islam/Christianity conflict to the Jews instead, as described in the 1943 book The Forgotten Ally. So if Israel disappears, the great conflict is exposed once more, yes? Unless "Islamic" countries seek peace instead, of course.

There is no need to be so offtopic bringing up the religious wars of the past millenia. Relevant to this topic is Mearsheimer saying that the American blockade after Iran and America reached an agreement to talk again made no sense and that it would be Israel which would sabotage any potential deal made in Islamabad Talks Round 2.

BTW, I saw some more of that video beyond minute 20 and Mearsheimer saying Trump had such a fit when he heard of the two American jets downed by Iran that his advisors had to take him out of that room. Is that the mental stability of a Superpower's leader the world needs? What if there was some major crisis?! Netanyahu and Israel firsters in America surely betted for the right horse!

 

[Fatman17]

Iran and the Indispensable Broker: How Pakistan Outmaneuvers India on the World Stage

In Sept. 2025, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defense pact, formalizing what decades of quiet cooperation had already made real. The defense

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Iran and the indispensable broker

 

[Master Chief]

Lots of things don't make sense to Mr. M.

Remember the geopolitical function Israel plays in the West: to redirect the millennia-long Islam/Christianity conflict to the Jews instead, as described in the 1943 book The Forgotten Ally. So if Israel disappears, the great conflict is exposed once more, yes? Unless "Islamic" countries seek peace instead, of course.

Bizarre speculation and nothing more.

If zionist Israel vanished as a political entity tomorrow and Jerusalem was "internationalised" as a holy city for religious tourism of multiple faiths, not one Christian or Muslim would have a problem. Not even one.

This "great conflict" wouldn't exist if Jerusalem was under shared jurisdiction. If anything, Christians and Muslims would squabble only within and amongst themselves over which sect holds which key to which bell tower or minaret. It would make great PPV entertainment.

 

[mythbuster]

What Field Marshall and his team have achieved or will achieve is nothing short of once in a century historic moment ! The Brilliance and ingenuity behind this is monumental and so is this occassion. Who would have thought that a day will come when Pakistan will single-handedly change history.

Field Marshal have a Gidhar Singhi.