April 10: Fragile ceasefire in effect as Iran-US delegations arrive in Pakistan for talks

By Press TV Website Staff

On April 10, as the ceasefire that halted the 40-day US-Israeli aggression against Iran entered a precarious phase, diplomacy opened under intense pressure as Iranian and American delegations arrived in Islamabad.

Earlier, Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf, reiterated that a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets are fundamental prerequisites for the Islamabad talks to begin and for diplomacy to make any progress.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly been pressuring the Israeli regime to end its military aggression in Lebanon after the announcement of the ceasefire with Iran.

The Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad after Tehran compelled Israel to halt its assault on Lebanon and made clear that any negotiations must rest on its 10-point plan, a highly placed source told Press TV on Friday.

Key developments on day 42 of the war, the second day of the ceasefire:

• The Iranian delegation, headed by Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, arrived in Islamabad for talks with the US representatives amid Iran's warnings that failure to meet Tehran's preconditions would prompt the process to fail. Other Iranian officials in the delegation include Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, member of the Supreme National Defence Council Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi and some senior lawmakers.
• US Vice President JD Vance, Washington's regional envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner represent the American side.
• Majid Takht Ravanchi said the upcoming negotiations with the United States in Pakistan will be based on Iran's 10-point ceasefire plan.
• A senior security official revealed to Press TV that firm pressure from Tehran, reinforced by its warning that it would suspend negotiations with the United States in Islamabad, forced the Zionist regime to halt its aggression against Beirut
• Iran's Khatam-al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said the country's Armed Forces remain in a state of full readiness, with their "fingers on the trigger," to respond to any violation of the two-week ceasefire by the enemies.
• Kamal Kharrazi, the head of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and former foreign minister, attained martyrdom. He had been severely wounded in a US-Israeli terrorist attack targeting his Tehran residence on April 1.
• Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei offered condolences on Kharrazi's martyrdom, hailing him as "a distinguished professor in the field of science and culture and an experienced figure in the field of foreign policy."
• Earlier in the day, Qalibaf said a truce in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets are requisite for the commencement of negotiations with the United States in Pakistan.
• Trump has reportedly pressed Israel to stop its military aggression in Lebanon, telling Benjamin Netanyahu to "low-key it."
• Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem condemned the recent wave of deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon, dismissing the bloody attacks as a desperate attempt to cover up the regime's "accumulated failure" on the battlefield.
• The World Health Organization chief urged Israel to reverse evacuation threats affecting hospitals in Beirut caring for hundreds of patients.
• Canada's foreign minister called on Israel to "respect Lebanon's territorial integrity."
• Lebanon and Israel are set to hold talks in Washington next week, a US official said.
• The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) said more than 125,000 civilian structures were either destroyed or severely damaged by US-Israeli airstrikes on residential areas across Iran.

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