Several roads leading to the Red Zone, the governmental district in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, that houses key administrative offices - including the Presidential Palace, the Prime Minister's Office, and various ministries, have been blocked ahead of the upcoming U.S.-Iran talks.
The U.S. and Iran are scheduled to begin negotiations on Saturday morning during the diplomatic window of a two-week conditional truce announced on Tuesday, more than one month after the start of U.S.-Israeli joint military strikes on Iran.
At road intersections, soldiers were seen conducting checks and standing guard on Friday. Reporters from Pakistani and international media outlets have gathered in the peripheral areas of the Red Zone, where TV relay and live broadcast vehicles from Pakistani media were seen standing by.
As of Friday morning local time, there is no information confirming that key personnel from the U.S. and Iranian delegations have arrived in Islamabad. However, according to public aircraft tracking websites, some U.S. transport planes did land in Islamabad and unloaded some supplies.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Friday morning that Pakistan has granted visa-on-arrival to delegates and journalists attending the talks.
In a statement posted on social media, Dar requested "all airlines to allow such individuals boarding without a visa," adding that immigration authorities in Pakistan would issue visas on arrival.
Pakistan's Ministry of Interior said in a social media post on Friday that Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a special meeting to review security arrangements and other preparations for the upcoming talks. Naqvi asked the relevant authorities to take all possible measures to ensure the hospitality and security of visiting delegations. The meeting decided that the Red Core zone would be completely sealed off, allowing entry only to authorized personnel. Additionally, the Ministry of Interior has established a control room to coordinate related matters.
Islamabad's Red Zone sealed off ahead of US-Iran peace talks
Iran has received U.S. feedback on its latest peace proposal through Pakistani mediators, and talks between the two sides are still underway, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday.
Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, Baghaei said that although the United States had publicly rejected Iran's 14-point peace proposal aimed at ending the conflict, Tehran had still received revisions and concerns through mediator Pakistan.
Such dialogue is continuing through the mediator, he said, stressing that although Iran does not trust the United States, it is still participating in the negotiations based on national interests.
Baghaei said that Iran has submitted its response to U.S. revisions to the conflict resolution plan.
"We approach every diplomatic process with deep distrust and serious skepticism in order to safeguard the national interests of Iran. Iran is aware that, given the United States' track record of undermining negotiations, it may repeat the same actions at any moment," Baghaei said.
Baghaei also said the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz stems from military actions launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, as well as what he described as violations of international law by the two countries.
Iran has taken relevant measures to ensure safety of navigation in the region, he said, adding that communication between Iran and Oman over issues related to the Strait of Hormuz is ongoing.
Baghaei said Iran harbors no hostility toward any country in the Middle East and called on all parties to remain vigilant against attempts by external forces to create division in the region.
Responding to repeated U.S. threats that military action against Iran could resume if no agreement is reached, Baghaei said threats and pressure have long been Washington's standard approach, but such tactics would not work on Iran.
He said Iran would continue advancing negotiations while closely monitoring developments and preparing for all possible scenarios.
Baghaei stressed that Iran would not abandon the rights granted to it under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and that the country is currently focused on efforts to end the conflict.
Also on Monday, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing sources close to the Iranian negotiating team, said that Tehran had handed over its newest 14-point proposed plan for ending the war with the United States to Pakistan.
Pakistan will convey the plan to the United States, the report said.
The new proposal was submitted after Tehran revised its earlier 14-point draft in response to a recent U.S. proposal, the sources added.
According to the sources, Iran's new draft focuses on negotiations to end the war, as well as on "trust-building" measures.
In a separate report on Monday, Tasnim quoted another source close to the Iranian negotiating team as saying that, unlike previous U.S. drafts, Washington had agreed in its latest proposal to waive sanctions on Iranian oil during the negotiation period.
On the same day, however, a U.S. official said claims by the Iranian side that the U.S. had agreed to lift sanctions during the negotiations were false.
Iran, the United States and Israel reached a ceasefire on April 8 after 40 days of fighting that started with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities on Feb 28.
Following the truce, Iranian and U.S. delegations held one round of peace talks in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which failed to yield an agreement.
Over the past weeks, the two sides have reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for ending the conflict through Pakistan.
Iran's foreign ministry says talks with US still underway
