An American delegation led by JD Vance arrives in Pakistan for ceasefire talks with Iran
Listen to this article
Average 5 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
TAmerican and Iranian officials arrived Pakistan on Saturday in the first round of talks on how to turn their two-week standoff into a lasting peace, as officials laid out the terms and said they had leverage in the talks.
Tthe American team is led by Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian delegation of the Speaker of the parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. As they arrive in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan ceasefire looking fragile.
Vance and Ghalibaf both met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to Sharif’s office and Iranian media, although no direct US-Iran talks had been announced as of mid-afternoon local time.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s state-run news agency reported that Israel continued its strikes in southern Lebanon, killing at least three people. Iran has said talks will only take place if there is a ceasefire in Lebanon and Iran’s embargoed assets are released.
The war, which began when the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 1,953 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in the Gulf Arab countries. It has largely removed the Persian Gulf from the world economy, sending energy prices up and damaging infrastructure in half a dozen countries in the region.
In Tehran, residents told The Associated Press they were skeptical but optimistic about talks after six weeks of airstrikes that wreaked havoc across their country.
Shahab Banitaba asked if the United States could be trusted to keep the agreement. “If we get concrete and final results, there are many chances that the agreement will not succeed,” he said.
US President Donald Trump posted several times on social media before Saturday, saying that Iranian officials “have no cards” to negotiate with. He accused them of using the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s main energy artery, to commit fraud. (Iran’s shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz it has proven its great strategic advantage in battle. Commercial ships have avoided the border, effectively blocking the passage of oil, natural gas and fertilizers.)
“The reason they are alive today is to negotiate!” Trump wrote.
As US Vice President JD Vance headed to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran, President Donald Trump also demanded that Iran give up its nuclear program. On the other hand, Iran demanded the release of embargoed goods and a halt to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
In the hours before the talks, Trump again wished Vance good luck. “We’ll find out what’s going on. They’ve been defeated militarily.”
Vance arrived in Islamabad at the head of a delegation that included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Islamabad is gone
In Islamabad, the capital’s usually busy streets were deserted on Saturday as security forces closed roads ahead of the talks.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Army Chief Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi received the American delegation on Saturday.
The Ministry said in a statement that Dar commended the commitment of the US to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region and the world.
He expressed his hope that the parties will negotiate in a constructive way and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to continue promoting efforts to find a lasting and strong solution to the conflict.
The United States has said that Lebanon has never been part of its ceasefire agreement with Iran and that Israel can continue raids and airstrikes on its northern neighbor in what Israel says is an attempt to wipe out Hezbollah. That has left thousands of citizens in cities like Beirut with a difficult situation: losing their shelter and fleeing or staying and risking missile and drone attacks.
Pakistan is establishing a state-of-the-art media center for dialogue
The government of Pakistan has established a state-of-the-art media center to assist Pakistani and foreign journalists reporting on the talks between the US and Iran, said Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
Tarar told reporters that the facility at the Jinnah Convention Center provides high-speed internet and a range of free services to support media coverage. Shuttle services are scheduled to transport journalists between the news center and a hotel in the city’s main shopping mall.
Pakistan has announced the visa entry of journalists and official delegates from the US and Iran to the talks, called “Islamabad talks.”
Inside the media center, rows of workstations equipped with laptops and charging stations allow reporters to file stories. Large screens broadcast local and international television channels. The center also has designated areas for live shows, press conferences and interviews.
Israel and Lebanon will have direct talks
Meanwhile, talks between Israel and Lebanon are expected to begin on Tuesday in Washington, the office of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Friday, as Israeli strikes killed at least three people on Saturday.
Israel wants the Lebanese government to take responsibility for disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah, as envisioned in the November 2024 ceasefire. But it is unclear whether the Lebanese army can control weapons or take weapons from the terrorist group, which has resisted efforts to curb its power for decades.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported several Israeli strikes on Saturday in the south of the country, killing at least three people. The three died when an airstrike hit and destroyed a residential building in the town of Mayfadoun, in the southern province of Nabatieh, according to the agency.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it fired a number of rockets aimed at a military base in northern Israel.
