Araghchi urged to cancel Islamabad trip as it signals talks acceptance - Fars
The IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency on Friday urged Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to cancel his Islamabad trip, arguing that its overlap with the US negotiating team’s visit signals Tehran’s acceptance of continued talks, which it described as “costly” and “pointless.”
"Concern over the foreign minister’s initiatives cannot be denied, and the outcome of his two previous rounds of talks with the American side is the war now facing us," the report said.
Switzerland’s foreign ministry said on Friday four staff have returned to Tehran to prepare the “gradual resumption of operations” at its embassy, which was closed last month over security concerns.
In a statement on X, the ministry said the move follows the temporary shutdown of its diplomatic mission in March amid the deteriorating security situation linked to the regional conflict.
“Following the temporary closure of the Swiss Embassy on 11 March due to the security situation, a Swiss team has returned to Tehran as of 20 April,” the ministry said.
“Four staff travelled overland via Azerbaijan and are now preparing the gradual resumption of operations.”
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan to participate in talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this weekend, CNN reported citing two administration officials.
Vice President JD Vance is not currently planning to attend as Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, is not participating either, the report said.
Vane will be on standby to travel to Islamabad if talks progress, the officials were quoted as saying, and members of his staff will be in Pakistan and attending the negotiations.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to introduce legislation to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the next parliamentary session, in an interview with the Jewish Chronicle.
Starmer said legislation would be brought forward “in a few weeks” as parliament reconvenes.
“In relation to malign state actors more generally, proscription, we do need legislation in order to take necessary measures, and that is legislation that we're bringing forward as soon as we can.”
“We go into a new session in a few weeks' time, and we'll bring that legislation forward,” he said.
He also voiced concern over Tehran’s activities in the United Kingdom, saying he was “very worried” about the increasing use of proxies by the Islamic Republic.
Starmer made the remarks during a solidarity trip to Kenton United Synagogue on Thursday.
The visit came on the eve of the court appearance of two men accused of spying on Jewish and Israeli targets in London on behalf of the Iranian intelligence.
Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, and Alireza Farasati, 22, face charges under the UK’s National Security Act of engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service. Prosecutors allege the activity was carried out for Iran.
Growing threats
Starmer's pledge to ban Iran's IRGC comes at a time of growing concern about threats, intimidation, and violence affecting people linked to Iran in Britain.
On April 18, Iran International received reports that an Iranian man was violently assaulted in central London. The Metropolitan Police are understood to be investigating.
On April 17, British police charged three people over an attempted arson attack near the London offices of Iran International.
Police said a burning container was thrown towards the broadcaster’s headquarters in north-west London. No one was injured, but the case has added to concerns about the safety of Persian-language media in Britain.
Before that, in March 2026, an Iran-aligned group was reported to have claimed responsibility for an arson attack on Jewish ambulances in Golders Green, north London.
In May 2025, three Iranian men were charged under the National Security Act after a major counter-terrorism investigation. Prosecutors said one of the men had carried out surveillance, reconnaissance, and online research with the aim of committing serious violence against a person in the UK.
The other two were accused of similar activity intended to help others carry out serious violence. The Home Secretary said the case was part of a broader response to threats linked to the Iranian state.
British authorities have warned for several years that Iran poses a serious threat on UK soil.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel is working in full coordination with the United States to increase economic and military pressure on Iran, while also pursuing what he described as a “historic” peace process with Lebanon despite efforts by Hezbollah to derail it.
In a video message released Friday, Netanyahu said Israel had “set out to change the reality of the Middle East,” emphasizing that current actions were reinforcing that strategy.
“Regarding Iran, I had a very good conversation with the president,” he said, referring to Donald Trump. “He is putting very strong pressure on Iran, both economically and militarily. And we are acting in full cooperation.”
Netanyahu also pointed to developments on Israel’s northern front, saying a diplomatic track with Lebanon had begun.
“In Lebanon, we have started a process to achieve a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon,” he said, adding that “it is clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this.”
The real story behind Tehran’s sudden “unity” campaign did not begin with Donald Trump’s accusations of disarray within Iran’s leadership. It began with a secret letter to Mojtaba Khamenei.
In recent days, word has circulated in Iranian political circles about a highly confidential letter reportedly written by a group of senior officials to Mojtaba Khamenei.
According to those familiar with the matter, the letter warned that Iran’s economic situation is grave, that the country cannot continue on its current path, and that the leadership has no practical choice but to negotiate seriously with the United States over the nuclear file.
The historical echo is hard to miss. In the final days of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, senior Iranian officials and commanders warned Ruhollah Khomeini that the war could no longer be sustained.
