The speaker of Iran's Parliament said Friday that negotiations with the United States cannot progress unless Israel halts military actions against Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon and Tehran's blocked assets are released.
The talks, scheduled for Saturday in Islamabad, are already under strain, with U.S. officials and Israel rejecting Iran's assertion that the deal requires a halt to Israeli strikes in Lebanon or the release of frozen assets. Vice President JD Vance is leading the U.S. delegation.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has served as speaker since 2020, wrote Friday on X that both issues were part of commitments made between the parties and warned that negotiations should not start until they are fulfilled. He is regarded as a central figure in Iran's delegation in Islamabad.
"Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations," Ghalibaf wrote.
The Trump administration and Israel have largely dismissed such claims, saying the current deal is a limited two-week pause aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and does not include Lebanon or immediate asset releases.
Although the U.S. 15-point proposal and Iran's 10-point plan both reference the release of frozen funds as part of a final settlement, Washington views this as an incentive for future concessions, while Tehran is demanding it as a prerequisite for Saturday's talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday his military will continue its campaign in Lebanon with "full force," even as it moves toward direct peace talks with Beirut.
Ghalibaf on Wednesday accused the U.S. of violating three clauses of Iran's 10-point proposal, including continued Israeli strikes against Hezbollah. The other alleged violations involved a drone entering Iranian airspace and efforts to block Iran from enriching uranium.
"Now, the very 'workable basis on which to negotiate' has been openly and clearly violated, even before the negotiations began," Ghalibaf wrote on X, referring to comments by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during Wednesday's briefing. "In such situation, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations is unreasonable."
Vance told reporters Friday before departing for Islamabad that "we're looking forward to the negotiation," adding he believes "it's going to be positive."
"As the President of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand," he said. "If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.
"We're going to try to have a positive negotiation. The president gave us some pretty clear guidelines, and we're going to see."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.