US Vice President JD Vance Holds Direct Talks With Iran In Pakistan

US and Iranian officials opened direct negotiations in Islamabad on Saturday, with Vice President JD Vance leading the American side in talks aimed at ending the conflict in West Asia.

The Pakistan-brokered meetings mark the first high-level, face-to-face contact between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and are drawing close attention worldwide.

Before the main session at Islamabad’s Serena hotel, the Vance-led US team and the Iranian delegation headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held separate meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. According to PTI, after Pakistan PM Sharif held separate meetings with both delegations, the formal round of direct negotiations between Iran and the United States has officially begun, a senior Pakistani official said.

Pakistan’s state-run PTV reported that Iranian and US officials sat across the table for the negotiations. The format of the talks remained unclear.

As discussions continued, the Iranian government stated on social media that talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad had entered the expert-level stage, with economic, military, legal, and nuclear committees taking part. It added, without further detail, that certain technical details are being finalised.

PTI reported that sources in the Pakistani establishment described the overall atmosphere in the talks as positive. Reports indicated the negotiations may extend into Sunday if no agreement is reached on Saturday night.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the negotiations have moved past general issues and entered technical-level discussions on certain topics.

Vance was joined by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. The Ghalibaf-led Iranian delegation included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Supreme National Defence Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati.

The two sides arrived in Islamabad on Saturday, four days after Iran and the US announced a two-week ceasefire. A large wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon, which killed more than 300 people, has since damaged the truce.

While Tehran said the assault violated the ceasefire understanding, the US and Israel stated that Lebanon was not covered by the deal.

Both delegations were received earlier at Nur Khan airbase by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Minister for Interior Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.

In his meeting with the Iranian delegation, Prime Minister Sharif affirmed Pakistan’s sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator towards achieving meaningful results from the peace talks.

During his meeting with the American delegation, Sharif expressed hope that the talks between the US and Iran would lead to durable peace in West Asia.

Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, said the peace talks could produce a deal if the American side worked in the interest of the US in line with President Donald Trump’s America First approach.

“However, if we face representatives of ‘Israel First’, there will be no deal,” he said on social media.

Aref cautioned that the world will face greater costs if there was no peace deal.

Tasnim news agency earlier reported that negotiations between Iran and the US will not begin until Tehran’s preconditions, including stopping Israeli hostilities against Lebanon and de-freezing of Iranian assets, are met.

Quoting an informed source, it later claimed that the American side has agreed to release Iran’s frozen assets. However, there is no confirmation yet on the report.

The US delegation also included Andrew Baker, Deputy National Security Advisor to the President, and Michael Vance, Special Advisor to the Vice President for Asian Affairs. A full suite of US experts on relevant subject areas are present in Islamabad, according to US officials.

Earlier, Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf shared a photo from inside the aeroplane while en route to Pakistan. In the photograph, he is seen standing in front of images of the Minab School students killed in strikes, which were placed on the aeroplane seats.

“My companions on this flight — Minab 168,” Ghalibaf posted on social media with the photograph.

US President Donald Trump has already cautioned that the US will resume its military action against Iran if the talks do not produce a peace deal.

Before departing for Pakistan, Vance said he was looking forward to the negotiations and hoped they would be positive.

“As the US president said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend an open hand. If they’re going to try to play us, they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive,” Vance said before boarding his plane for Islamabad.

After his arrival in Islamabad early Saturday, Ghalibaf told reporters about the issue of trust with the US, reminding them of Iran’s past experience with that country.

“Twice within less than a year, in the middle of negotiations, and despite the Iranian side’s good faith, they attacked us,” he said, adding: “We have goodwill, but we do not have trust (in Americans).” He said if the American side is ready for a genuine agreement, then it would see Tehran’s readiness for it.

Iran has laid out a 10-point plan for the talks that included demands for the withdrawal of US forces from West Asia, the lifting of sanctions against Iran, and allowing it to control the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan led the diplomatic push to bring the two sides to the table, which became possible after an appeal by Prime Minister Sharif earlier this week, leading to a pause in the fighting.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi, who held a telephone call with the country’s ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Shibani, earlier asserted that the US must live up to its ceasefire commitments, which he said included ensuring the truce covers Lebanon.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the Israeli attacks on Lebanon blatantly violated the initial ceasefire and would render negotiations meaningless.

A thick security blanket covered Islamabad, which was on red alert ahead of the talks. More than 10,000 police and security personnel have been deployed to ensure multi-layered security for the visiting delegates, officials said.

The Red Zone, housing key buildings, is protected by the army and the Rangers, and only authorised officials and residents are allowed to go through it.

The Iran-US negotiations are being closely watched globally, as their success or failure could have far-reaching implications for West Asia’s security, global energy markets, and international diplomacy.

(With inputs from PTI)