On Friday, April 10, the United States and Iran face deep divisions over Lebanon and Iran’s nuclear programme, threatening to derail negotiations before they even begin. The US side is led by Vice President JD Vance, and the talks come six weeks after US and Israeli strikes on Iran killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The fallout from that escalation has been severe, triggering a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives, disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and pushed global oil prices to record highs. Speaking to reporters on Thursday ahead of his departure from Hungary, on whether Lebanon was included in the peace talks, Vice President JD Vance said the US never made any such promise. He underlined that the ceasefire was aimed at a focus on Iran, and American allies-both Israel and the Gulf Arab states. According to media reports Pakistan facilitated a two-week ceasefire earlier this week, but it is already under strain. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf lead the Iranian side. The two delegations are expected to sit in separate rooms at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel, with Pakistani officials shuttling between them.

"Courier Boys" Narrative: Indian/foreign media mockingly referred to Pakistan's leadership as "courier boys," alleging they were merely relaying messages rather than playing any significant diplomatic role in the US-Iran situation. The phrase "courier boy" is currently trending in reference to a diplomatic blunder by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on April 8, 2024. The controversy centers on a message posted on X about mediation between the United States (under Donald Trump) and Iran. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shared a post on X that mistakenly included an internal header: “Draft – Pakistan’s PM Message on X.” Critics, including Indian journalists, quickly seized on the slip, dubbing him a “courier boy” and alleging that he had simply copied a message prepared by the White House. Although the tweet was deleted and reposted without the header within about a minute, the edit history had already been captured and widely circulated, drawing mockery from journalists such as Arnab Goswami and Ryan Grimm.

Amid a growing trust deficit among stakeholders, the two-week peace truce process in Islamabad, Pakistan, is already mired in controversy even before it begins on Friday. Pakistan, which is trying to project itself as a leader and torchbearer of peace in West Asia—and is even reportedly eyeing a Nobel Peace Prize, has found these claims widely mocked. Many media outlets, including those in India, have dismissed them as shameless and rather pitiable. How can a country with a long, uninterrupted record of harboring and sponsoring terrorism even remotely entertain such an idea?

Besides, Pakistan has come under intense scrutiny from the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other for allegedly peddling falsehoods. In its self-proclaimed, and factually questionable—role as a peace negotiator, it appears to have irked both sides, with its claims now under the spotlight. According to reports, Pakistan told Iran that Lebanon (via its proxy, Hezbollah) was part of the negotiation process, while reportedly withholding or not conveying the same to the US. While reports suggest that China played a behind-the-scenes role in pushing Iran towards the negotiating table, the broader understanding remains that it encouraged and supported the process rather than solely brokering the truce.

According to reports, in April 2026, Pakistan managed a high-stakes transition from an economic crisis triggered by a sudden $3.5 billion UAE loan repayment demand to a central role in brokering/facilitating a West Asia peace truce with support from China. The UAE unexpectedly shifted its financial support from long-term rollovers to demanding immediate repayment, citing evolving situations in West Asia. Pakistan agreed a three-part repayment totaling $3.5 billion to be completed by April 23, 2026. This coincides with a $1.3 billion Eurobond maturity, bringing total April outflows to roughly $4.8 billion. Repayments risk depleting reserves (roughly $16.4 billion) by nearly 18%, potentially breaching IMF program requirements. Pakistan is facing severe economic pressure to repay loans, functioned as a "courier boy" for the U.S. in brokering a shaky ceasefire, rather than acting as an independent mediator.

Unconfirmed reports claimed that after Pakistan touted the mediation as a victory, the U.S. and Israel sidelined them, leading to a "ceasefire mess" and proving the move was a desperate tactic to avoid economic collapse. In view of its repayment obligations to the UAE, Pakistan approached Saudi Arabia for assistance. Saudi Arabia indicated that if it were to support Pakistan with the next instalment, they would be expected to stand by them. Pak responded that while they could not directly defend Saudi, they could help protect Saudi from potential Iranian attacks and assist in facilitating negotiations. Meanwhile, Iran warned that if Saudi Arabia allowed the Americans to use their airspace, Iran would retaliate against Saudi Arabia. In response, Pak urged Iran not to attack, prompting them to ask what role you could play. In trying to present the value, Pakistan went ahead and included Lebanon in the proposed negotiations, without prior consultation or approval from the US. US Vice President JD Vance told Pakistan that it had double-crossed the United States, as Lebanon was not part of the peace deal, claimed the report.