Iran hosts Pakistani delegation amid diplomatic flurry to avert new US strikes

Iran’s top negotiator has said there will be no compromise over its national rights during a meeting with the Pakistani army chief in Tehran on Saturday, amid a flurry of diplomacy aimed at preventing renewed US strikes on Iran.Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, said Tehran would secure its “legitimate rights”, whether through the battlefield or through negotiations, while accusing the US of not being an honest negotiating partner, Iranian state media reported.“If Trump acts foolishly and the war resumes, the response against the United States will certainly be more crushing and bitter than on the first day of the war,” Ghalibaf said during the meeting. He added that the Iranian military had rebuilt its capabilities during the ceasefire that began in early April.His comments came amid reports that the US was considering fresh strikes on Iran as negotiations for an enduring truce between the two countries sputtered. The Trump administration was preparing for a renewed round of strikes, CBS news reported on Friday, citing informed sources.Trump has frequently threatened to strike Iran if it does not reach a deal with the US, though military analysts have expressed doubt that a renewed aerial campaign could tip the balance in the Washington’s favour.Amid the escalated rhetoric from both sides, Iranian state TV reported that Iran was in the “final stage” of drafting a framework for a deal with the US.Pakistan, which has been mediating talks between Iran and the US, has led a renewed push in recent days to bridge the gap between the two parties. Pakistan’s army chief, Syed Asim Munir, also met Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday, before leaving Tehran.The talks reportedly focused on a 14-point peace proposal by Iran, as well as messages between the two parties.A Qatari delegation met with Iranian and Pakistani mediators in Iran on Friday, and on Saturday, Trump spoke with the Qatari emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to discuss “regional and international efforts to stabilise the ceasefire”, according to a statement by Tamim’s office.A ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran has been in place since early April after more than a month of war. The truce was meant not only to stop fighting, but also to give space for negotiations over reopening the strait of Hormuz – a chokepoint for about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies – as well as Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme.Talks have largely not progressed and the strait remains mostly closed, despite the ceasefire and mediation efforts.On Saturday, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, expressed cautious optimism for negotiations. “There’s been some progress done, some progress made. Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done,” Rubio told reporters in New Delhi during a visit to India. “There might be some news a little later today. There may not be. I hope there will be,” he said.It is unclear what “news” Rubio was referring to. Mediators on Saturday said they believe they were close to extending the ceasefire by 60 days and set a framework for talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the talks.The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, left, in New Delhi on Saturday. Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool AP/APIran’s official IRNA news agency meanwhile quoted the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as saying that positions had moved closer in recent days.Trump met the US secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth, in the White House on Friday reportedly to review options for restarting the bombing campaign. Trump also announced that he would be skipping his son’s wedding this weekend for reasons “pertaining to the government”.It is unclear what the target of a renewed bombing campaign would be. In the past, Trump threatened to wipe out “a whole civilisation”, and targeted civilian infrastructure such as bridges. Israel had also attacked energy facilities, and strikes damaged desalination facilities during the war in March.Human rights groups have criticised the attacks on civilian infrastructure, saying that attacks against public infrastructure could be considered war crimes for their impact on civilians.Sites that hold Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which has been a key point in negotiations, could be targeted, but those facilities and other nuclear sites are probably deep underground and would require complex operations using tons of bunker-buster bombs.Iranian stockpiles of drones, ballistic missiles and missile-launching sites could also be targets, as they were in the last round of conflict. Targeted assassinations of Iranian officials could also be on the table.Analysts, however, have warned that the US is in an even more vulnerable position than it was at the beginning of the Iran war.The Washington Post revealed that the US had depleted much of its stockpile of advanced missile-defence interceptors, a key munition it needs to defend its bases and allies in the Middle East.Much of the US public is against the war and is frustrated with soaring gas prices and inflation that have occurred as a result of the closure of the strait of Hormuz. Trump’s popularity has declined, with an approval rating of about 37% – a historic low.It is also unclear how much the US actually achieved in the first round of conflict. The Iranian leadership remains in place, and intelligence assessments indicate that as much as 60% of Iran’s missile and drone stockpile remains.