As the negotiations continued, the Iranian government said on social media that “talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad entered the expert-level stage as economic, military, legal, and nuclear committees joined in”.
IMAGE: Members of the media work as a screen displays news with images of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meeting with US. Vice President JD Vance and separately with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, at a media centre set up for the coverage of the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. Photograph: Asim Hafeez/Reuters
Key Points
- Pakistan is facilitating indirect negotiations between Iran and the US in Islamabad, with the goal of achieving a ceasefire.
- The talks are viewed as a significant step towards de-escalating tensions and fostering durable peace in the West Asia region.
- Both US and Iranian delegations held separate meetings with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir prior to the negotiations.
- The negotiations are taking place during a two-week halt in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, which commenced on February 28.
A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance held historic face-to-face talks with top Iranian negotiators in Pakistan on Saturday to reach a peace agreement to end the war in West Asia that has paralysed global energy markets and disrupted trade.
The Pakistan-brokered talks — the first direct, high-level engagement between the two sides since the 1979 Islamic Revolution — are being watched globally amid increasing expectations of a breakthrough.
Ahead of the trilateral negotiations in 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.
“After Pakistan PM Sharif held separate meetings with both the delegations, formal round of direct negotiations between Iran and the United States has officially begun,” a senior Pakistani official told PTI.
Pakistan’s State-run PTV said Iranian and US officials sat across the table for “landmark peace negotiations.” The format of the talks was not very clear.
As the negotiations continued, the Iranian government said on social media that “talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad entered the expert-level stage as economic, military, legal, and nuclear committees joined in”.
Without elaborating, it added that certain “technical details” are being finalised.
Sources in the Pakistani establishment said that the overall atmosphere in talks was “encouraging”.
There were reports that talks may continue on Sunday if no breakthrough was achieved tonight.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the negotiations have moved beyond general issues and entered technical-level discussions on “certain topics”.
The US delegation is led by Vice President JD Vance, who is accompanied by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Iranian delegation is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and also includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with other leaders.
IMAGE: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. Photograph: Office of the Iranian Parliament Speaker/West Asia News Agency/Reuters
Diplomatic Engagements
Earlier, both delegations were received at the 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.
Sharif, during his meeting with the American delegation, expressed hope that the talks between the US and Iran would lead to durable peace in West Asia.
IMAGE: US Vice President JD Vance talks with Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad on Saturday, April 11, 2026. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/Reuters
America First approach
In a related development, Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s first vice president, said the peace talks could produce a deal if the American side worked in the interest of the US in sync 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.
Iran Set Preconditions
Iran’s semi-official 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.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher 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.
Trump Warns Military Action
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.
Iran’s Trust Issues With America
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’s Role and Global Impact
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.
Heavy Security Blankets Islamabad
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.
