No deal if US prioritizes Israel's interests in Islamabad talks, says Iran's first VP

Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref warned Saturday that there would be no deal if the United States prioritizes Israel's interests in the negotiations in Pakistan.

"If we face representatives of 'Israel First,' there will be no deal; we will inevitably continue our defense even more vigorously than before, and the world will face greater costs," he wrote in a post on social media platform X, adding that "an agreement beneficial to both sides and the world is probable" if otherwise.

The remarks came as an Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and a US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan's Islamabad for talks to end the hostilities in the Middle East.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US interests in the Middle East and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz.

A two-week ceasefire reached between Iran and the United States took effect on Wednesday. Yet Israel has said the ceasefire does not cover the conflict in Lebanon and carried out its largest single-day attack on Lebanon on Wednesday, killing more than 300 and injuring over 1,100.

On Friday, Qalibaf demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations with the United States.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Washington had agreed to unfreeze the Iranian assets and that the Iranian delegation in Pakistan was seeking to make sure about the issue. However, several media reports, citing an unnamed US senior official, denied the report.