United States Vice President JD Vance and his delegation landed in Pakistan on Saturday morning for historic negotiations with Iranian leaders, marking the first direct high-level engagement between Washington and Tehran since 1979.
The talks are taking place during a two-week pause in the US-Israeli war against Iran, which began with joint attacks on 28 February.
The conflict, which spread across the Middle East and rattled global markets, was halted on 8 April after Pakistan brokered a temporary ceasefire.
Vance was received at Nur Khan Air Base by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces and Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, reports Dawn.
In a statement confirming the US delegation’s arrival, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said Dar welcomed Vance and “commended US commitment to achieving lasting regional and global peace and stability.”
He expressed hope that all parties would engage constructively and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to facilitate a durable resolution to the conflict.
The Iranian delegation also arrived in Islamabad early Saturday after a last-minute hurdle over Israeli strikes in Lebanon was resolved. Tehran had conditioned its participation on a halt to attacks in Lebanon, which Pakistan confirmed was included in the ceasefire agreement.
The US team, led by Vance, includes President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside officials from the National Security Council, State Department, and Department of Defence. Advance security, technical, and communications teams had reached Islamabad earlier in the day.
Iran’s delegation is headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Supreme National Defence Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian, and central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, according to Tasnim news agency.
Tehran’s participation nearly collapsed on Friday evening, with Ghalibaf insisting that two conditions must be met before talks could begin: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of $7 billion in frozen Iranian assets abroad. An Iranian official told Dawn: “We forced a pause in attacks in Beirut and Dahieh by making it a red line in negotiations and also made it clear that if Israel crosses it again, talks would be off.”
🔊PR No.9️⃣9️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣
Arrival of the US Delegation for Islamabad Talks
🔗⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MO9hkpnpf0— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) April 11, 2026
Points of contention
Iran has demanded that any ceasefire extend across all fronts, including Hezbollah, while the US and Israel have treated Lebanon strikes as outside the scope of the truce. This divergence has repeatedly threatened to derail the diplomatic track.
Before departing Washington, Vance described the talks as potentially “positive” and said the US was prepared to negotiate in good faith, while warning against what he called stalling tactics. President Trump struck a harder tone, warning that Iran had “few cards” left and that military action could resume if talks fail. He also criticized Tehran’s restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which remain a central point of leverage in the standoff.
.@VP departs for Islamabad, Pakistan: “As @POTUS said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.” pic.twitter.com/9nNDGsMmId
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 10, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan would “try its level best” to ensure the success of the negotiations, framing them as an opportunity to resolve “contentious issues through dialogue” while acknowledging the complexity of the task.
The agenda reflects that complexity. The talks are based on Iran’s 10-point proposal, which Washington accepted as a general framework, but fundamental differences remain between the two sides.
