Tehran: Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf has carried photographs of victims of the Minab school attack on his flight to Islamabad, turning the journey into a sombre visual protest ahead of high stakes US–Iran talks in Pakistan.
Aboard the aircraft, empty seats were arranged with portraits and personal belongings of those killed in the February 28, 2026 strike on an elementary school in Minab, many of them children. Accompanying the photos were small backpacks and roses, underscoring the human toll of what Iran terms a US Israeli attack.
Posting the image on X, Ghalibaf wrote, “My companions on this flight, Minab 168,” referring to the 168 children and staff killed in the incident. The attack, which reportedly left at least 165 dead and over 100 injured, has become a central motif in Tehran’s narrative as it prepares for negotiations.
On arrival in Islamabad, Ghalibaf adopted a cautious and sceptical stance, telling reporters, according to Tasnim News Agency, that Iran was entering the talks “with good intentions but no trust.” He stressed that previous rounds of negotiations with the United States had repeatedly failed to produce lasting results.
“Unfortunately, our experience of negotiating with the Americans has always been met with failure and breach of contract,” he said, adding that Iran had encountered actions it regarded as violations even during earlier diplomatic engagements. He warned that talks should not be used as a cover for moves lacking genuine intent.
Ghalibaf made clear that any agreement would depend on Washington’s approach.
“In the upcoming negotiations, if the American side is ready to make a real agreement and grant the rights of the Iranian people, they will see our readiness to make an agreement as well,” he said.
On the US side, Vice President J.D. Vance, speaking ahead of departure for Islamabad, signalled willingness to engage if dialogue is conducted in good faith.
“If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly willing to extend the open hand,” he said, while warning, “If they're going to try to play us, they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
US President Donald Trump also weighed in via social media, suggesting that Iran may be overestimating its leverage and pointing to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz as part of the wider strategic backdrop to the talks.
(Inputs from IANS)