Trump's team behind the failed US-Iran talks in Islamabad — a real estate envoy, a son-in-law, and a political convert — reveals a dangerous confusion of diplomacy with business deal-making, while also laying bare the deep-seated illusion of American exceptionalism.

Washington’s sudden push for a ceasefire and negotiations with Iran was not a sign of goodwill but a desperate admission of strategic failure after failing to achieve any of its war objectives, says a US-based journalist.

Iran insists that the release of its frozen assets is a non-negotiable precondition for talks with the US in Islamabad, symbolizing sovereignty, trust, and historical grievances.

The Iranian negotiators, led by the Parliament speaker, hold a meeting with the Pakistani prime minister in Islamabad.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei says the Iranian delegation in Islamabad has formally laid out Tehran’s conditions under its 10-point proposal to Pakistan, which is mediating ceasefire talks between Iran and the United States. 

The US reportedly agrees to release frozen Iranian assets in Qatar and foreign banks as a precondition ahead of the Islamabad talks.

Hezbollah says it has attacked a number of Israeli targets in response to the regime’s invasion of Lebanon.