Iran International
With US-Iran talks in Pakistan in doubt after Iran's foreign minister left Islamabad and President Trump canceled the planned trip by US negotiators, veteran journalist Eli Lake says Washington should use its leverage not only on the nuclear file, but to help the people of Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Islamabad on Saturday, where he met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir as Pakistan continued efforts to mediate between Tehran and Washington.
A Pakistani source involved in the talks told Reuters that Araghchi conveyed Tehran’s demands and concerns about US positions during the visit. Iranian state media also said he delivered Iran’s response to proposals in a meeting with Munir before leaving Islamabad for Oman and Russia.
Iranian officials had earlier said Araghchi had no plan to meet US officials in Pakistan.
Lake, a journalist at The Free Press and host of the Breaking History podcast, told Eye for Iran that the Islamic Republic is seeking negotiations as a lifeline after major military, economic and political setbacks.
“Their backs are against the wall and these negotiations they hope are going to be a lifeline,” Lake said.
But he argued that any renewed diplomatic track should begin with pressure on Tehran over the Iranian people.
“If I was Vice President Vance, I would say… the first thing I’d say is, you need to turn back on the internet if you’re going to get these financial lifelines. You need to release political prisoners,” Lake said.
He added that Washington should also demand an end to executions.
The remarks come as Iran’s internet blackout has entered its 57th day, according to NetBlocks, with international connectivity still largely severed amid worsening conditions inside the country.
Lake said the US should recognize that “our best allies are the Iranian people on the ground,” and warned against strikes on civilian infrastructure such as power plants, saying they would hurt ordinary Iranians more than the Islamic Republic.
The diplomatic maneuvering has also unfolded amid signs of deepening disagreement inside Tehran. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliament speaker, has stepped down as head of Iran’s negotiating team amid internal disputes, with Saeed Jalili floated as a possible replacement and Araghchi seeking greater control of the talks.
Lake said he believes the fractures inside the Islamic Republic are genuine.
“At the end of the day, with enough pressure, they’re probably going to start turning on each other,” he said.
He argued that the Islamic Republic has lost legitimacy and that Iran’s future will ultimately be decided by Iranians themselves.
“You cannot keep these people down,” Lake said..
Judiciary-affiliated media identified him as Erfan Kiani and said his death sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court before being carried out early in the morning.
Authorities said Kiani led a group in the central city of Isfahan that carried out acts including damaging public and private property, setting fires, using Molotov cocktails, blocking roads and attacking security forces during the unrest.
State media described him as a key figure in efforts to create “fear and chaos,” framing the case as part of what officials say is a broader campaign against foreign-backed activity.
The execution comes amid an ongoing crackdown following the January protests, with several people executed in recent weeks on similar charges. Earlier this month, authorities executed two men accused of attempting to storm a military site and access weapons, while another man was put to death over allegations he set fire to a mosque during the unrest.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly raised concerns over the use of capital punishment in protest-related cases, saying defendants are often convicted in unfair trials and based on confessions obtained under duress.
Jafar Tafakori, 57, was arrested in Colombia at the request of US authorities and is accused of arranging the movement of mainly Iranian nationals through South and Central America and Mexico to the US border.
According to the indictment, the alleged scheme ran from late 2022 to mid-2024 and involved providing transport, shelter and, in some cases, airline tickets for migrants, charging fees of up to $30,000 per person.
Prosecutors said migrants were directed to enter the United States illegally once they reached the border. Tafakori faces one count of conspiracy and five counts of bringing migrants into the United States for financial gain.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison per count, with a potential mandatory minimum sentence if found guilty on multiple counts.
US officials said the arrest reflects efforts to target transnational smuggling networks operating across multiple countries.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday that Iran was struggling to determine its leadership, pointing to what he described as infighting between “hardliners” and “moderates.”
“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know!” Trump wrote, adding that internal divisions were “crazy” and tied to battlefield losses and political rivalries.
The remarks came as the continued absence of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei from public view and reported disputes over engagement with Washington have drawn scrutiny to internal dynamics within the Islamic Republic.
Officials project unity after remarks
An account attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei reposted part of his Nowruz message warning of “enemy psychological operations” aimed at undermining national unity and security.
Senior officials echoed similar messaging in coordinated posts. President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote that distinctions between political factions were invalid.
“In Iran there are no ‘hardliners’ or ‘moderates’… We are all Iranians and revolutionaries,” they wrote, adding that unity and obedience to the Supreme Leader would ensure victory.
Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei described such labels as “fabricated and baseless,” saying all factions operate cohesively under the leadership.
Other figures, including senior military commanders and advisers, issued similar statements stressing allegiance to “one leader,” in what appeared to be a coordinated response.
Divisions persist over policy and negotiations
Despite the messaging, recent developments suggest internal disagreements remain. In March, Pezeshkian apologized for attacks attributed to Iranian forces on neighboring countries, attributing them to actors operating independently, drawing criticism from military-linked figures.
Conflicting signals also emerged last week over maritime policy, when Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz before the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps indicated renewed restrictions due to ongoing pressures.
Reports have also pointed to disputes over nuclear negotiations with the United States. According to information received by Iran International, disagreements between officials aligned with the government and figures linked to Mojtaba Khamenei disrupted plans for talks in Islamabad.
Sources familiar with the matter said negotiators were instructed not to engage on the nuclear file, prompting Araghchi to describe participation as “essentially futile” and warning that such a stance would end the process.
Earlier reporting also indicated that Ghalibaf criticized opponents of a deal with Washington in internal discussions, describing them as contributing to the country’s decline.
