Qalibaf in Islamabad: 'We Have Good Faith, But We Do Not Trust America'

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The delegations are in place, the venue is set — but as Saturday, dawned in Islamabad, Iran's lead negotiator made unmistakably clear that his country was arriving at the table with its eyes wide open and its guard fully up.

Speaking to Iranian state television from the Pakistani capital just hours before the formal opening of direct talks with the United States, Speaker of Iranian Parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf delivered a frank assessment of where Tehran stands: "We have good faith, but we do not trust America. Our past experience of negotiations with the Americans has always ended in failure and broken promises."

The remarks set a guarded but deliberate tone for what both sides have described as a historic moment — the first direct Iran-US negotiations following 39 days of devastating conflict, made possible by a ceasefire that entered into force Wednesday morning.

Ready for peace or confrontation

Qalibaf made clear that Iran had come to Islamabad prepared for either outcome. "We proved in the war that we are ready," he said. "If the American side wants to use negotiations for deception and misleading, their efforts will be fruitless. But if Washington is ready for a genuine agreement and grants the Iranian people their rights, we are ready for that too."

The US delegation is led by Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Iran's delegation is led by Qalibaf alongside Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadian, and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati — a lineup spanning security, diplomatic, and economic portfolios that signals Tehran's intent to engage across all dimensions of a potential deal.

The talks follow the ceasefire that brought an end to the conflict that erupted on Feb. 28, and represent the first direct engagement between the two sides since hostilities began.