Iran will be hosting a high-ranking political and security delegation from Pakistan on Wednesday, as indirect exchanges of messages between Tehran and Washington continue, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman announced.

Esmail Baghaei, speaking in response to a question from IRNA, confirmed that Tehran is expected to receive the Pakistani delegation today.

“Today, we are most likely hosting a delegation from Pakistan,” Baghaei said.

“Following the talks that took place in Islamabad, and also the discussions that the Pakistani side has had with the United States, our views have been conveyed and heard,” he said.

He added, “Naturally, during this visit, the two sides are expected to discuss their viewpoints in detail.”

Meanwhile, informed sources in Pakistan confirmed that a high-level security-political delegation, comprising prominent Pakistani figures, left Islamabad for Tehran a short while ago, IRIB news reported.

According to the sources, the delegation is carrying a new message from Washington for Tehran.

The delegation is scheduled to meet with Iranian officials to discuss future negotiations, the sources said.

The development comes as a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States will expire on April 22.

The United States and Israel launched their unprovoked war of aggression against Iran on February 28, assassinating the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and striking nuclear facilities, schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against the Israeli regime’s attempts to sabotage a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran, saying that Ankara will push for an extension of the truce and ensure peace talks continue in Pakistan.

Addressing a parliament session on Wednesday, Erdogan said that the Israeli prime minister’s cabinet, “which is known to be unhappy with the ceasefire process, must not be allowed to sabotage it.”

The Turkish leader said that his government is making the “necessary appeals and initiatives” to ease tensions and extend the ceasefire, which is set to expire on April 20.

The two-week ceasefire, announced last week, 40 days after the US and the Israeli regime launched their war of aggression against Iran, provided a fragile window for diplomacy. It will expire on April 22.

Over the weekend, high-level peace talks between US and Iranian officials took place in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. While the talks ended without an agreement, regional governments are urging both sides to return to the negotiating table.

Erdogan also urged the two sides to utilize “the window of opportunity opened by the ceasefire” before its expiration.

“If there is to be peace in our region, it will be despite the Zionist regime,” Erdogan said. “If stability is achieved, it will again be despite the Israeli government.”

The Turkish president also condemned the aggression against Lebanon, warning that continued airstrikes are harming hopes for peace.

He said that Turkey will continue “to be the follower of the cause of children killed in their sleep in Lebanon,” referring to Israel’s airstrikes that have killed more than 2,000 people—including many women and children—since early March, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Despite the fact that the ceasefire between the US and Iran explicitly covered Lebanon, the Israeli regime continues its military aggression against the country, blatantly ignoring the terms of the truce.

This ongoing aggression is seen by regional observers as a deliberate attempt by Tel Aviv to sabotage the peace talks.

• FT report says Iran acquired Chinese spy satellite in 2024.
• Leaked documents suggest IRGC uses satellite to monitor US sites.
• Satellite imagery reportedly captured before, after strikes on bases.

China has dismissed a Financial Times report as “fabricated”, rejecting claims that Beijing provided covert satellite support to Iran enabling it to target US military bases across the Middle East during the ongoing conflict.

The report claims Iran secretly acquired a Chinese-made spy satellite in late 2024, which it has used to monitor and strike US military installations across the region.

The TEE-01B satellite, built and launched by the Chinese company Earth Eye Co, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force after it was launched into space from China, the report said, citing leaked Iranian military documents.

Iranian military commanders directed the satellite to monitor major US military sites, the newspaper said, citing time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery and orbital analysis. The images were taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those locations, the Financial Times said.

As part of the deal, the IRGC received access to commercial ground stations operated by Emposat, a Beijing-based provider of satellite control and data services with a network extending across Asia, Latin America and other regions, according to the report.

Rejecting the claims, the Chinese foreign ministry told Reuters: “Recently, some forces have been keen on fabricating rumours and maliciously associating them with China.”

“China firmly opposes this kind of practice driven by ulterior motives,” read the statement.

Reuters could not verify the report.

The White House, CIA and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Earth Eye Co and Emposat also did not immediately respond to Reuters queries.

The report said the White House did not comment on the relationship between Emposat and the IRGC, but a spokesperson referred to comments US President Donald Trump made at the weekend when he warned that China would face “big problems” if it provided Iran with air defence systems.

When asked about the matter, the Chinese embassy in Washington told the newspaper: “We firmly oppose relevant parties spreading speculative and insinuative disinformation against China.”

The satellite captured images of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 13, 14 and 15, the report said.

On March 14, Trump confirmed US planes at the base had been hit.

According to the report, the satellite also monitored the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and locations close to the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Manama, Bahrain, and Erbil airport, Iraq, around the time of IRGC-claimed attacks on facilities in those areas.