India, April 12 -- As the Iranian delegation sat down to begin high-stakes talks with the United States in Islamabad, diplomacy took on a deeply emotional tone, with Tehran invoking the memory of 168 children killed in the Minab school strike.

In a striking and symbolic gesture, just as negotiations got underway, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf shared an image from his flight-rows of empty seats filled not with passengers, but with photographs of young victims. "My companions on this flight, Minab168," he wrote, turning a routine diplomatic journey into a sombre tribute.

The message was unmistakable: before any agreement, before any handshake, there are lives that Iran says cannot be forgotten.

The Minab tragedy date...