By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held separate meetings on Saturday with the top American and Iranian delegations as high-stakes negotiations opened here to transform a fragile two-week ceasefire into a lasting end to the six-week Middle East war that has killed thousands, disrupted global energy supplies and shaken the world economy.
Sharif first sat down with US Vice President JD Vance, who arrived shortly after 11 a.m. at Nur Khan Air Base and was greeted on the tarmac by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. Vance was accompanied by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, along with officials from the National Security Council, State Department and Pentagon. Advance US security, technical and communications teams had reached the capital earlier.
In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office after the meeting, Sharif commended the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively and expressed hope that the talks would serve as “a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region.” He was assisted by Dar and Naqvi. Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s readiness to continue facilitating the process “in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region.”
Later, Sharif met the Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Supreme National Defence Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian and central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. The Prime Minister’s Office said Sharif appreciated Iran’s engagement and affirmed Pakistan’s “sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator to help build momentum towards achieving meaningful results in the interest of regional and global peace and stability.” Dar, Munir and Naqvi also attended that session.
The Iranian team had landed early Saturday after a last-minute crisis over Israeli strikes in Lebanon was eased. Tehran had insisted the talks could not begin without a halt to those attacks — a condition Pakistani officials said was part of the original ceasefire understanding brokered by Islamabad. Ghalibaf stated Friday evening that participation hinged on two non-negotiable steps: an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of about $7 billion in Iranian assets frozen abroad. “These steps must be fulfilled before negotiations begin,” he said. An Iranian official told local media that Tehran had drawn a firm red line: “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.”
The arrivals mark the first direct high-level engagement between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution — and, if face-to-face sessions occur as planned, the first since the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump later abandoned. The delegations converged in Islamabad after Pakistan’s intensive mediation, which produced the April 8 ceasefire announced by Sharif following six weeks of fighting that began Feb. 28 with coordinated US-Israeli strikes. Those strikes assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and hit Iranian military and nuclear sites, prompting Tehran to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, launch missiles at Israel and strike U.S. bases across the Gulf. More than 2,000 people died in the initial phase alone, with the conflict spreading instability across the region and triggering the largest oil supply shock on record.
The Iranian delegation arrived dressed in black in mourning for Khamenei and other Iranians killed in the war. According to the Iranian government, they carried shoes and bags belonging to students killed when the United States bombed a school next to a military compound.
A Pakistani source familiar with the arrangements said it was too early to predict whether Saturday’s opening round would conclude the same day, adding that there was no fixed time limit for the negotiations. The agenda is built around Iran’s 10-point proposal, which Washington has accepted as a general framework, but deep differences remain. The United States is expected to demand limits on Iran’s nuclear program — including curbs on uranium enrichment and possible removal of nuclear material — along with restrictions on ballistic missiles, verifiable sanctions relief tied to concessions, and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran is seeking full sanctions relief, formal recognition of its nuclear rights, greater control over the strategic waterway including the right to impose transit tolls, an end to regional military operations including in Lebanon, and immediate access to its frozen funds. Regional proxy networks, missile ranges and the sequencing of any concessions are additional flashpoints.
Tensions over the ceasefire’s scope have shadowed every step. Iran insists any durable agreement must extend to all fronts, including Israel’s operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The United States and Israel have treated the Lebanon theater as outside the truce, despite what Tehran and Pakistan describe as an initial understanding that it would be covered. That divergence nearly derailed the talks before they began and continues to threaten the process.
Vance, speaking before departure from Washington, described the expected outcome as potentially “positive” while cautioning that the US team would negotiate in good faith but would not be “receptive” to stalling tactics. Trump struck a sharper tone, warning that Iran had “not many cards” left and that military action could resume if the talks failed. He also criticised Tehran for ongoing restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains a central point of leverage. On Friday, Trump told reporters the waterway would open “fairly soon,” noting that other countries using it would help, and expressed frustration with NATO allies for not committing more quickly to secure the route.
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has remained at a virtual standstill despite the April 8 ceasefire. MarineTraffic and other trackers reported only 14 vessels — half laden — had crossed since then, compared with more than 100 daily before the conflict. Sanctioned or shadow-fleet vessels made up nearly two-thirds of the limited traffic. Britain has scheduled a senior officials’ planning meeting next week with about 30 nations to discuss reopening the strait, explicitly opposing any Iranian-imposed tolls. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called it essential to restore a “viable plan” for global energy flows.
Foreign Minister Araghchi said Tehran was entering the talks with “deep distrust” rooted in past broken agreements and remained prepared to retaliate if attacked again. Pakistan’s leadership has framed the moment as “make or break.” Sharif described the negotiations as a critical opportunity to resolve contentious issues through dialogue while acknowledging the complexity. Dar, welcoming Vance, commended the U.S. commitment to regional and global peace and reiterated Islamabad’s desire to facilitate a lasting solution. Analysts expressed cautious optimism. Masood Khan, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, said Pakistan had worked hard behind the scenes and was “very hopeful and optimistic.” He called the war devastating not only for Iran and the Gulf but for the global economy, urging a swift permanent end.
Security across Islamabad remained extraordinarily tight. Authorities declared a two-day public holiday, sealing roads, deploying hundreds of military, paramilitary and police personnel, and locking down the Red Zone around key government and diplomatic sites. The Serena Hotel, the reported venue, was cleared and placed under government control. Streets that are normally bustling were largely deserted.
Officials and analysts agree that the breadth of issues makes immediate breakthroughs improbable in the opening two-day session. At best, the talks could map a pathway for future rounds and produce limited de-escalation steps on Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz. Yet the simple fact that senior delegations from Washington and Tehran are meeting in a third country after decades of estrangement represents a rare diplomatic opening — one now unfolding under the strain of ongoing violence in southern Lebanon, minimal Gulf shipping, and profound mutual mistrust. Pakistan has positioned itself as facilitator rather than arbiter, drawing quiet support from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and others. The international community has welcomed Islamabad’s role, but the hard decisions — and the risk of failure — rest squarely with the United States and Iran.
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