Iranian Ambassador Deletes Post on Arrival of Delegation in Pakistan, Why?
Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, deleted a social media post stating that an Iranian delegation was expected to arrive in Islamabad on Thursday night (9 April), ahead of further negotiations with the United States (US), mediated by Pakistan.
In the X social media post, as reported by AFP and Al Arabiya on Friday (10 April 2026), Moghadam stated that “despite scepticism due to repeated ceasefire violations by the Israeli regime”, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the Iranian delegation for “serious talks”.
“The Iranian delegation arrives tonight in Islamabad for serious talks based on the 10 points proposed by Iran,” Moghadam added in the X post on Thursday (9 April) local time.
Moghadam’s post subsequently appeared to be deleted.
An official from the Iranian Embassy in Islamabad told AFP that Moghadam’s post was deleted “due to some issues”. However, the official declined to answer when asked if the Iranian delegation was still expected to arrive in Islamabad on Thursday (9 April).
When pressed further, the Iranian Embassy official said: “The timing – we shouldn’t have posted it.”
Pakistan has been preparing to host follow-up talks between the US and Iran after a two-week ceasefire was agreed on Tuesday (7 April), with the White House stating that US Vice President JD Vance would lead the negotiations in Islamabad “this weekend”.
The deletion of the Iranian Ambassador’s social media post has raised new uncertainty regarding the follow-up negotiations with the US.
Iran Reluctant to Dialogue with US Before Israel Stops Attacking Lebanon
A report from Iran’s Fars News Agency, as cited by Anadolu Agency, stated that Iran has officially informed Pakistani authorities that it will not participate in peace talks with the US in Islamabad until a ceasefire is implemented in Lebanon.
Fars News Agency quoted a source familiar with the matter in its report. There has been no official statement from Tehran regarding participation in the negotiations with Washington in Islamabad, which was previously scheduled for Friday (10 April).
In its report, Fars News Agency stated that the Iranian negotiation team has not arrived in Pakistan’s capital and does not plan to attend the peace talks with the US until Israel stops bombing Lebanon.
Israel’s military has intensified airstrikes across Lebanon since Wednesday (8 April), killing at least 303 people and injuring another 1,150, despite the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran.
As the mediator, Pakistan affirmed that the ceasefire includes Lebanon, with Iran issuing a similar confirmation. However, Israel and the US have denied this.