A non-Iranian oil tanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the ceasefire was declared on Thursday. The negotiations are expected to cover Tehran's nuclear program, however, on Thursday, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, ruled out any restrictions on uranium enrichment as demanded by the US and Israel. However, Israel and the US later denied this. News agency Tasnim cited an unnamed source on Friday as saying: 'Reports by some media about the arrival of an Iranian negotiating team in Islamabad to negotiate with the Americans are completely baseless.' Earlier, the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmail Qaani, stated: 'Conducting negotiations aimed at ending the war depends on the US respecting its commitments to ceasefire on all fronts, especially in Lebanon,' according to ISNA news agency. 'Bad deal' Meanwhile, Islamabad has turned into a ghost city due to heightened security measures and the authorities declaring Thursday and Friday as public holidays. The Pakistani government has not yet officially announced details about the timing or location of the talks. US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad on Friday. A two-week ceasefire agreement was reached on Wednesday night between Tehran on one side and Washington and Israel on the other after a war that lasted for about forty days and erupted after an American-Israeli attack on February 28. There remains uncertainty about Tehran's delegation after Iranian officials warned they would not participate in negotiations unless the ceasefire extended to Lebanon, where Israel is at war with Hezbollah, and on Wednesday, widespread airstrikes were carried out that killed at least 300 people. Pakistan, upon announcing the ceasefire on Tuesday night, confirmed that the agreement covers all fronts, including Lebanon. US President Donald Trump accused Iran of making a 'bad deal' regarding the Strait of Hormuz, although its reopening was one of the ceasefire conditions. Traffic through the strait, which is a vital route for one-fifth of the world's oil, as well as huge volumes of liquefied natural gas and fertilizers, is still almost at a standstill. However, the Serena Hotel, located next to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the capital's fortified Red Zone, asked its guests to leave on Wednesday. The negotiations are expected to be held indirectly, with the two delegations sitting in separate rooms and Pakistani officials shuttling between them to convey proposals, similar to previous rounds mediated by Oman. Despite the agreement to negotiate, there are doubts about the possibility of reaching a peace deal, especially as the warring parties have conflicting positions on key issues.
