Vance, Other US Officials Sit Down For Face-To-Face Talks With Iranian Counterparts In Pakistan

The White House said on Saturday that US Vice President JD Vance and other top officials of the American delegation have begun face-to-face negotiations with their Iranian counterparts in Islamabad with the goal of achieving a deal to end the war in West Asia.

This came after Iranian state media reported that three-party talks between the US, Iran and Pakistan had begun in Pakistan after a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and other preconditions being met. Key issues include Iran’s enriched uranium, Israel’s military operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

A senior White House official said the three sides were holding the direct talks in person, a departure from recent practice where Washington

and Tehran held talks only through a mediator while seated in separate rooms. This marked the highest-level US-Iran talks since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the first direct talks since 2015, when they reached a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.

These direct talks happened after the US and Iranian delegations met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif separately to begin negotiations for a ceasefire deal. The talks began at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel. At the time, it was unclear whether the two sides would meet face-to-face or continue to exchange messages via Pakistani officials.

Who Participated In Islamabad Talks?

US Vice President JD Vance is leading the American delegation, which also includes White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Also participating are Andrew Baker, the national security adviser to the vice president, and Michael Vance, the special adviser to the vice president for Asian affairs.

The Iranian delegation includes parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar are part of the team mediating the talks. The three-way talks went for nearly two hours before a break.

The talks came as the fragile two-week ceasefire was under increasing strain, as Iran demanded that any agreement on a permanent end to fighting must include the unfreezing of sanctioned Iranian assets as well as an end to Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Vance said would not be up for discussion. Also among Iran’s demands are control over the Strait of Hormuz and payment of war reparations.

Meanwhile, Trump said the US had begun the process of clearing the Strait of Hormuz, adding that all 28 of Iran’s mine-dropping ships had been sunk. “The United States has completely destroyed Iran’s Military, including their entire Navy and Air Force, and everything else. Their Leadership is DEAD! The Strait of Hormuz will soon be open, and the empty ships are rushing to the United States to “load up”,” he said on Truth Social.