US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad on Saturday for the first round of talks on how to convert their two-week truce into tangible passage for global shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and lasting peace, as officials publicly outlined competing preconditions.
Vance is leading the US delegation, which also includes President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Before departing for Pakistan, Vance warned Iran not to “play” the US, saying their negotiators won’t be receptive.
The Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, was already in Islamabad.
US and Iranian officials meet separately with Pakistani PM
Meanwhile, Iran’s negotiating team, chaired by Qalibaf, met on Saturday with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Neither the Iranian delegation nor the prime minister’s office commented on the meeting in Islamabad.
Along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kusher, US Vice President JD Vance also met with Sharif.
As talks readied to begin, details of negotiations remained unclear. There have been reports of a 10-point Iranian-drafted plan, which US President Donald Trump described as “a workable basis on which to negotiate” and a reported 15-point Washington plan—none of which have been formally unveiled.
Early Saturday, media reports showed Israel was pressing ahead with strikes in southern Lebanon, killing at least three people.
Key issues expected in discussions
Sanctions, the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear enrichment, and Israel’s attacks on Lebanon are among the major issues on the agenda for the discussions in Islamabad.
The United States has demanded that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial shipping route, which Tehran has effectively closed since the deadly US and Israeli 28 February attacks on Iran that sparked the war.
Iran has proposed charging transit fees to ships requesting passage and seeks recognition of its control over the small waterway; the US has rejected this proposal.
Nonetheless, US President Donald Trump has suggested that the US and Iran form a “joint venture” to establish tolls there, something that stirred concern in Europe earlier this week and prompted a response.
“The Strait of Hormuz, like any other maritime lane, is a public good for all humanity, which means navigation must be free. Freedom of navigation must be restored,” a commission spokesperson said on Thursday.
For Iran’s part, the current discussions would only take place and succeed if there is a ceasefire in Lebanon and blocked Iranian assets are released.
According to Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, Tehran was entering Saturday’s talks with the US with “deep distrust” because of a pair of attacks Iran sustained in the middle of negotiations over its nuclear programme.
In a post on social media, Araghchi’s office, which called for Israeli attacks on Lebanon to stop, said in a post that Iran would fight back if it were attacked again.
The war has severely blocked off the Persian Gulf from the world economy, causing infrastructural damage in six of the region’s countries and driving up oil prices globally.
At least 3,000 people have been killed in Iran, 1,953 in Lebanon by Israeli attacks, 23 in Israel, and over a dozen in Gulf Arab states from Iranian attacks.
Additional sources • AP