Iranian Negotiator: Netanyahu's Intervention in Ceasefire Talks is a US Obstacle

TEHERAN - Mohammad Marandi, a member of Iran’s delegation participating in negotiations with the United States, stated that J.D. Vance, the US Vice President, is continuously informing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about developments in the negotiations.

Marandi explained, in an interview via YouTube on Thursday (16/4/2026) as reported by Al Jazeera, that Vance’s direct notifications to Netanyahu regarding the course of the negotiations is a terrifying matter.

“Human history has never witnessed such subservience,” he said, as reported by Al Jazeera on Thursday.

He pointed out that Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, who is leading Iran’s delegation in the negotiations held in Pakistan, remains in communication with the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, during the ongoing talks.

Meanwhile, Vance is making phone calls with the White House and other parties.

Marandi described Israel as a colony controlling the United States and considered Vance’s notification to Netanyahu about negotiation details as an insult to the American people.

He added in the interview that Netanyahu and others are “practically thwarting a deal beneficial to the United States,” while warning that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz could cause a global economic collapse in the near future.