Iran to show 'new cards on battlefield' if war resumes: parliament speaker

Iran's powerful parliament speaker warned Tuesday that Tehran had "new cards" if war resumes with the United States and Israel, ahead of the expiration of a two-week ceasefire.

"We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the last two weeks we have been preparing to show new cards on the battlefield," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's top negotiator in talks with the United States, wrote on X.

His remarks come as US Vice President JD Vance is expected to travel to Pakistan on Tuesday for talks aimed at advancing stalled US-Iran negotiations, according to US media reports, as diplomatic activity intensifies to prevent a renewed escalation.

Citing three US officials, Axios reported Vance is due to depart for Islamabad on Tuesday morning, with discussions focused on a potential framework to halt hostilities. The White House is awaiting Tehran’s confirmation on whether it will send a delegation, while mediators continue urging Iranian participation.

Iran has not formally confirmed its position, though Pakistani sources cited by US outlets suggest Tehran may be open to a second round of talks, even as no final decision has been announced.

The diplomatic push unfolds against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire. US President Donald Trump said the truce will expire Wednesday evening Washington time and is “highly unlikely” to be extended without an agreement, after originally being set to end Tuesday.

Tensions remain high, with both sides trading accusations of violations. Ghalibaf has also accused Washington of trying to turn negotiations into a “tool of coercion,” reiterating that Tehran will not engage under pressure and warning of further battlefield responses.

Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned they could target vessels in the Strait of Hormuz if they pass without authorisation. The United States has accused Tehran of harassing shipping in the key waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil trade flows.

Trump, posting on Truth Social, said US pressure on Iran would continue until a deal is reached on Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Senior US officials including envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner are expected to participate in the talks, though Vance is leading the diplomatic effort as Washington seeks to contain a conflict that has strained global energy markets and drawn domestic political scrutiny.

Pakistan previously hosted the first round of US-Iran talks earlier this month—the first direct high-level contact since 1979—but those discussions ended without breakthrough. Islamabad has since increased security ahead of Vance’s expected arrival.

Elsewhere in the region, a separate Israel-Lebanon ceasefire announced Friday and involving Hezbollah remains fragile. A second round of Israeli-Lebanese talks is expected in Washington this week, even as sporadic violence continues and the UN Security Council condemns the killing of a French peacekeeper in Lebanon.