Pezeshkian arrives in Pakistan: US, Iran talks continue amid Lebanon violence

Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for high-level talks as diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington continue to draft a potential agreement aimed at ending the ongoing Middle East conflict, amid fresh violence erupted in Lebanon and key disagreements surfaced over what has actually been agreed so far.

Pezeshkian’s visit to Islamabad comes as technical-level negotiations continue following talks held in Switzerland on Monday, led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. The discussions are part of a wider diplomatic push to finalise a long-term settlement to the war.

However, gaps in the understanding between the two sides have already emerged. In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said there are no planned visits by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to inspect Iranian nuclear sites that were bombed by the United States last year. This contradicts earlier US claims that an agreement had been reached to allow inspections.

The IAEA has maintained limited access to Iran since the 2025 Israel-Iran war, but has not been permitted to enter the damaged enrichment facilities targeted by US strikes.

At the same time, renewed violence in southern Lebanon has added fresh uncertainty to the fragile diplomatic process. Israeli forces opened fire in separate incidents, killing two people, according to Lebanese authorities, raising fears that the escalation could undermine ongoing negotiations.

Iran has insisted that any comprehensive deal must include a full ceasefire in Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has continued alongside broader regional tensions.