Pakistan set to facilitate diplomatic discussions between US and Iran amidst ongoing clashes in Lebanon

Pakistan was set to host crucial talks between Iranian and US delegations in its capital on Friday, despite uncertainty surrounding Tehran's participation following deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon that threatened the fragile truce.

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The strikes, which occurred earlier in the week, have raised concerns that the temporary ceasefire may be shattered, prompting international calls for restraint, including from the US, which is pushing for a halt in Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

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Islamabad was pressing ahead with preparations for the high-stakes negotiations, which are expected to cover sensitive topics such as Iran's nuclear enrichment and the free flow of trade through the strategic Strait of Hormuz maritime chokepoint.

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However, Iran's participation in the talks remained uncertain, with Tehran signaling that its attendance could depend on a halt in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, according to Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman.

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Baqaei stated that "the holding of talks to end the war is dependent on the US adhering to its ceasefire commitments on all fronts, especially in Lebanon," and added that "if the travel plan is finalised, the composition of the delegation will also be announced."

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Meanwhile, Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards indicated their commitment to the ceasefire, with the state broadcaster quoting them as saying "we would like to inform you that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not launched anything at any country during the ceasefire hours until now."

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On Wednesday, Israel's heaviest strikes on Lebanon since Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in early March killed hundreds, rattling the uneasy ceasefire between Washington and Tehran less than 48 hours after it came into force.

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Pakistan has insisted that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire, and Washington has made a push to include Beirut in parallel talks, with a US State Department official confirming that "the Department will host a meeting next week to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon."

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Neither Israel nor the Lebanese government has publicly confirmed these talks, although the announcement came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his ministers to seek direct dialogue with Lebanon focused on disarming Iran-backed Hezbollah.

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A Lebanese government official told AFP that Beirut would require a truce before entering any negotiations with Israel, as attacks continued overnight, with air raid sirens sounding in Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv and other parts of the country.

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Hezbollah announced that it had carried out drone and rocket strikes early on Friday on Israeli forces on both sides of the border, as well as a town in Israel's north, further straining the already fragile ceasefire.

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Israel's refusal to halt operations in Lebanon has cast a shadow over the expected talks in Pakistan, where many roads in the capital were closed on Friday during a two-day public holiday that turned the city into a ghost town as it prepared for delegates' arrival.

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The two-week truce was agreed to allow negotiations between US and Iranian officials aimed at ending a conflict that has already killed thousands and plunged the global economy into turmoil, with Iranian officials saying Israel's strikes had rendered the Pakistan talks "meaningless" and that Lebanon was an "inseparable part of the ceasefire."

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Tehran's ambassador to Pakistan on Thursday deleted a social media post saying an Iranian delegation would arrive in the country later that day, as Vice President JD Vance is due to lead the US delegation on Saturday, joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

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Fresh fractures in the mediation process emerged when Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif wrote a sharp criticism of Israel's strikes on Lebanon, in a post taken down hours later on Friday, saying "Israel is evil and a curse for humanity — while peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon."

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The Israeli Prime Minister's office called the remarks outrageous, saying "this is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace," as Pakistan does not formally recognise Israel, a fact that could complicate its role as mediator.

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Germans Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that the destruction in Lebanon could cause "the peace process as a whole to fail," as Netanyahu insisted that Lebanon was not covered by the ceasefire, saying "anyone who acts against Israeli civilians, we will strike them, we will continue to hit Hezbollah wherever necessary."

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Trump told NBC News that Israel was "scaling back" strikes in Lebanon and that Netanyahu had assured him its attacks would become more "low-key," as the situation remains precarious.

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If the talks go ahead, a key point of contention remains the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil as well as vast quantities of natural gas and fertiliser pass in peacetime, with Trump accusing Iran of doing a "very poor job" of allowing oil through the strait and of breaching the terms of their ceasefire agreement.

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Trump warned Tehran against imposing a toll on ships passing through the crucial waterway, saying "Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonourable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz, that is not the agreement we have!," as MarineTraffic data showed that the Gabon-flagged MSG passed through the strait on Thursday, the first non-Iranian oil tanker to do so since the ceasefire was announced.