Iran Drops Wishlist for US and Israel: Araghchi Uses Pakistan as a Mailbox, Flies to Oman Instead

The Iranian delegation, led by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, departed Islamabad on Saturday evening after a day of high-level meetings with the Pakistan leadership, leaving Pakistan's ambitious claims of brokering a US-Iran peace deal as part of the second round of negotiations in tatters.

As reported by Al Jazeera, the delegation left the Pakistani capital after delivering an "official list of demands" to Pakistani leaders for the US and Israel in order to achieve a complete solution to the conflict in West Asia.

The departure effectively signals the end of Islamabad's hopes to facilitate the much-anticipated second round of direct dialogue, as Araghchi is now set to travel to Oman and Russia, bypassing any further engagement in the Pakistani capital.

In a frantic effort to project diplomatic weight, Pakistan's top civilian and military leadership converged at the house of the Pakistani Prime Minister for a meeting with the Iranian delegation that lasted approximately two hours prior to Araghchi's departure.

Alongside Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the meeting saw the heavy-handed presence of Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Why Did Iran Refuse to Meet the US Delegation in Islamabad?

Despite the presence of Pakistan's entire security and political top brass, the engagement appeared to be little more than a 'messenger' service.

According to Kamran Khan, chairman of Pakistan-based news outlet ARY News, citing sources, the Iranian side, rather than engaging in the mediated peace talks Pakistan had promised, simply handed over a list of preconditions--specifically the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports on the Strait of Hormuz.

Khan, prior to the high-level diplomatic engagement between Tehran and Islamabad, reported that the talks with the US and Iran in Islamabad were "rapidly fading", exposing the host nation's diplomatic impotence as Tehran refused to meet the travelling American delegation.

Despite going to extreme lengths to orchestrate high-profile diplomatic arrangements, the Pakistani establishment has been entirely sidelined by the actual stakeholders, reducing Islamabad to a mere spectator in its own capital.

According to Khan, citing informed sources, Tehran was "not ready to meet the US delegation", which includes US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Senior Adviser and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, who were scheduled to travel to Islamabad for the second round of talks.

While the Pakistani establishment attempted to roll out the red carpet, the city of Islamabad was held hostage by a "suffocating security lockdown."

Authorities sealed major arterial roads and placed the high-security Red Zone under a "strict cordon", paralysing daily life for residents.

(With inputs from ANI)