DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian state television broadcast an alert Tuesday declaring that “no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad … so far” amid mounting speculation about potential diplomatic discussions with the United States.
The televised announcement appears to highlight ongoing disagreements within Iran’s religious government as leaders consider their response to the U.S. Navy’s weekend capture of an Iranian cargo vessel.
Hard-line factions have historically maintained control over Iranian state television operations.
To date, no government representative has confirmed plans to send a delegation to Islamabad, where Pakistani officials have remained prepared for several days awaiting possible diplomatic meetings.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance is anticipated to head the American negotiating team. Iran has not disclosed who might represent their interests, though parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf previously led Iranian representatives in past discussions.
Iranian officials have not publicly addressed strategies for restarting diplomatic dialogue. Extreme conservative elements within Iran have voiced opposition to renewed negotiations in recent days, particularly following the naval incident.
Some online voices have called for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to publicly declare his position on continuing negotiations, but the Iranian leader has remained silent and has not appeared publicly since the conflict began, with Israeli and American officials claiming he sustained injuries during the fighting.
This situation has likely positioned Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as the primary governing force in the Islamic Republic. Guard units played crucial roles during the conflict and operated with significant independence from Tehran when selecting military targets.
Iran’s civilian government has largely remained silent, especially after Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted online over the weekend that shipping lanes had reopened, only to have other Tehran officials later contradict his statement.
Iran has restricted maritime traffic through the strategic waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to international waters since the February 28 attacks by the U.S. and Israel that initiated the current conflict. The United States has implemented its own blockade of Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s actions.
