**Iran Demands Israel Stand Down on Lebanon or No Deal as High-Stakes US Talks Loom in Pakistan**
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh just declared the next few hours “very critical” ahead of Saturday’s face-to-face negotiations with the United States in Islamabad.
Tehran is still showing up, but it’s playing hardball: any agreement must force Israel to halt strikes on Lebanon. Iran insists no real peace is possible unless its Hezbollah proxies in Lebanon get a pass too.
The US team, led by Vice President JD Vance and including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will sit down with Iranian officials including Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Araghchi. Pakistan is mediating after helping broker a shaky two-week ceasefire.
Iran is also pushing a 10-point proposal that includes sanctions relief and guaranteed access through the Strait of Hormuz. But with fresh accusations of Israeli ceasefire violations in Lebanon, the whole fragile truce looks ready to unravel.
The Trump administration has made clear Lebanon was never part of the original deal. America isn’t about to tie Israel’s hands while Iran shields its terror networks. These talks will test whether Tehran wants peace or just more time to regroup.