Even as US Vice President JD Vance heads to Islamabad for the potential second round of talks with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that Tel Aviv has unfinished job in Tehran.
Speaking at a Memorial Day ceremony in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said the world recognises Israel's determination to defend itself and "to defend mankind against barborous zealotry". He said the US and Israel are "carrying the entire Western civilisation on their backs".
This comes as US President Donald Trump on Monday revealed that Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner are en route to Islamabad. Iran, on the other hand, claimed that it would not attend the second round of peace talks. However, Pakistani sources told NY Post that Tehran's refusal is "mere posturing" to strike the best deal possible.
"Current hard stance is posturing to extract maximum advantage when second round happens," the source claimed, citing takeaways from discussions with Iranian foreign ministry spokesman.
Iranian new agency IRNA said Tehran's decision not to attend the talks was due to excessive demands put forth by the US as well as "unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the continuing naval blockade". This comes less than 48 hours before the fragile two-week ceasefire is set to expire.
Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday said the US has faile to learn its lessons from experience and it would not lead to good results. In a post on X, Baghaei slammed the US naval blockade as "unlawful and criminal", saying it amounted to "war crime and crime against humanity".
Preparing for the talks, Pakistani authorities are busy arranging the venue and accommodation at Islamabad's Marriott Hotel and Serena Hotel. Serena Hotel made headlines last week after the Pakistani authorities failed to settle bills after the first round of talks between the US and Iran on April 11.
The two sides are yet to come to an agreement on the control of Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme. While the first round of talks lasted 21 hours without any agreement, the negotiations starting on Tuesday could last for days, according to sources.