Vance cautions Iran against manipulating the US during negotiations in Pakistan

US Vice President JD Vance issued a stern warning to Iran on Friday, cautioning against attempting to manipulate Washington, as he embarked on a journey to Islamabad for crucial talks aimed at transforming a fragile ceasefire into a lasting peace agreement.

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Despite the temporary truce, deep-seated disagreements persist between the two sides, with each party accusing the other of failing to properly implement the current agreement, highlighting the significant challenges that lie ahead.

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Vance expressed his willingness to negotiate with Iran in good faith, stating "If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand," while also emphasizing that any attempts to manipulate the US would be met with resistance.

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US President Donald Trump has voiced his discontent with Iran's handling of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which was meant to be reopened, and has also criticized Tehran's reaction to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, insisting that these issues fall under the agreement.

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Official sources have revealed that the talks in Islamabad will cover several sensitive points, including Iran's nuclear enrichment and the free flow of trade through the strait, which are critical to a lasting peace agreement.

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Pakistan had initially stated that the discussions would commence on Friday, but Vance is not expected to arrive until Saturday, and as of late Friday evening, all routes leading to the Serena Hotel, the expected venue, were blocked off with heavy security.

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A large banner and digital signs along the expressway heralded the "Islamabad Talks", as Iran suggested that its participation could hinge on a halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, with Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, stating "The holding of talks to end the war is dependent on the US adhering to its ceasefire commitments on all fronts, especially in Lebanon".

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Iranian officials have described the Israeli strikes as having rendered the Pakistan talks "meaningless", although Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards have signalled their commitment to the ceasefire, stating they had "not launched anything at any country", according to the state broadcaster.

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On Thursday, Trump accused Iran of doing a "very poor job" of allowing oil through the Strait of Hormuz and of breaching the terms of their ceasefire agreement, in a barrage of social media posts that sparked fears for the shaky truce.

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Vance, who is leading the US delegation alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, expressed his intention to have a positive negotiation, stating "We're going to try to have a positive negotiation".

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A 30-year-old resident of Tehran expressed scepticism about the negotiations, describing most of what Trump says as "pure noise and nonsense", and believing that Trump's intention is to manipulate the Islamic republic into getting a deal.

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The Strait of Hormuz, which is a critical waterway, has seen only a small number of vessels crossing since the truce was announced earlier in the week, despite the fact that a fifth of the world's oil and vast quantities of natural gas and fertiliser pass through it in peacetime.

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The two-week ceasefire was agreed to allow time for negotiations aimed at ending a conflict that has already killed thousands and plunged the global economy into turmoil, with Tehran resident Sheida expressing her fears about the war starting again and the regime staying.

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Hezbollah announced on Friday that it had targeted Israel's Ashdod naval base with missiles "in response to the enemy's violation of the ceasefire and its repeated attacks on Beirut", following Israel's heaviest strikes on Lebanon since Iran-backed Hezbollah entered the Middle East war.

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Trump told NBC News that Israel was "scaling back" strikes in Lebanon and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had assured him its attacks would become more "low-key", although a Western diplomat said on condition of anonymity that there was ongoing "pressure from European states, Gulf states and Egypt on Israel to prevent renewed Israeli airstrikes on Beirut after 'Black Wednesday'".

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As of Friday afternoon, the Israeli army had not acted on warnings the day before that it would strike wide areas in Beirut's south, but it did carry out a strike near a government building in the southern city of Nabatiyeh that killed eight security personnel, according to Lebanon state media.

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Israel's army reported that more than 4,300 Hezbollah sites had been "dismantled" in Lebanon since the start of the war, as Washington has said the Lebanese front will be dealt with under separate talks next week.

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The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday that food insecurity was on the rise in Lebanon, with prices surging and supply chains disrupted, highlighting the humanitarian consequences of the conflict.