Iran Curbs Speculation, Pakistan Talks Not Yet Started
Iran has confirmed that no delegation has been sent to Pakistan for talks with the United States, so the meeting widely discussed on social media cannot yet be considered a reality. Iran's state media outlet Tasnim called reports that a negotiating team had arrived in Islamabad "completely false," and emphasized that the talks remain suspended.
Previously, several international media reports had indicated that Islamabad would host the talks this weekend, with the US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance. Reuters also reported that Pakistan was undertaking a high-stakes mediation effort to bring Washington and Tehran together, raising expectations that the diplomatic process would soon begin. However, Iran's latest denials have left markets scrambling to distinguish between the planned schedule and the actual start of the meeting.
This confusion is likely fueled by conflicting information flows. On the one hand, some media outlets reported that the Iranian delegation had landed in Islamabad, while on the other, official Iranian media outlets rejected these reports. There were also reports that an Iranian diplomat's post regarding the team's visit to Pakistan had appeared and then been deleted, further fueling speculation in the public sphere and on social media.
For the market, this development is significant because it indicates that optimism about diplomacy remains fragile. As long as there is no official confirmation that talks have actually begun, sentiment toward oil, gold, the dollar, and risk assets will remain volatile. This means that the current "talks underway" narrative is still premature, and a safer bet is to assume the meeting has not yet taken place, or at least has not been officially confirmed. (Zaf)
Source: Newsmaker.id
