US Vice President JD Vance Lands in Islamabad for Historic Direct Peace Talks with Iran

United States Vice President JD Vance departed for Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday, April 10, 2026, to lead the highest-level direct talks between Washington and Tehran since 1979, with negotiations formally scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 11. The talks follow a fragile two-week ceasefire announced on Wednesday night, April 8, after more than five weeks of war between the United States and Iran. Vance will head a delegation that also includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump. On the Iranian side, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are named as negotiators, according to Reuters. Whether the talks will take place at all remains uncertain, as Iran has not confirmed the departure or arrival of its delegation and has conditioned its participation on a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

Islamabad locked down as 10,000 security forces deploy Pakistan placed Islamabad under what the Guardian described as a "strict lockdown" ahead of the talks, with the government quarter and diplomatic zone sealed off and checkpoints established on major roads. Pakistani authorities declared a two-day public holiday to keep residents off the streets, leaving the capital largely empty. Three to four possible venues are under consideration for the meeting, according to Pakistani security circles, due to elevated security risks. The talks are planned to be held at the five-star Serena Hotel in the Pakistani capital, according to Le Parisien. Expert-level preliminary discussions were scheduled for Friday, with the lead negotiators expected to meet on Saturday, and the possibility of talks extending into Sunday if required. Pakistan took on the mediator role after traditional intermediaries such as Qatar, which was attacked during the war, were sidelined, according to Deutsche Welle.

Pakistan shares a border of more than 900 kilometers with Iran and maintains diplomatic relations with both Washington and Tehran, making it one of the few states in the region capable of hosting such talks. The country signed a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia last year, which a South Asia expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore described as a potential source of risk if negotiations collapse and Pakistan is drawn into the conflict. Pakistan has maintained close military and economic relations with the United States since its independence. The New York Times described the Islamabad meeting as the highest-level encounter between US and Iranian officials since 1979.

Iran's conditions and deleted posts cast doubt on talks Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described the negotiations as "pointless" if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue, according to Stern. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated that holding talks depends on the United States remaining faithful to its ceasefire commitments on all fronts, particularly in Lebanon. Iran's Ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, posted on his X account that the Iranian delegation had arrived in Islamabad on Thursday evening, citing Iran's ten-point proposal as the basis for serious talks, but deleted the post hours later without explanation, according to Deutsche Welle. The Iranian news agency Mehr separately denied reports that a delegation had already arrived in Islamabad, deepening uncertainty about Tehran's intentions. „pointless” — Masoud Pezeshkian via Stern Mistrust between the two sides is expected to characterize the negotiations, with both the Israeli attacks and the outbreak of the war at the end of February having occurred during periods of ongoing US-Iran diplomatic contact, according to newsORF.

Strait of Hormuz closure and nuclear program top the agenda The United States has identified two primary objectives for the talks: a permanent end to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the termination of Iran's nuclear program. The strait remains closed, blocking approximately 20 (percent) — share of global oil supply blocked by Strait of Hormuz closure of the world's oil supply, according to the BBC. Trump has repeatedly demanded the reopening of the strait and stated that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons, according to watson.ch. How willing Iran is to compromise on the strait blockade is unclear, as the closure currently gives Tehran significant economic leverage. Vance issued a direct warning to Tehran before boarding Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews. „If the Iranians are ready to negotiate seriously, we are ready to reach out to them. If they try to play games with us, they will find that our negotiating team is not very open to that” — JD Vance via stern.de For Pakistan, the stakes extend beyond diplomacy: a collapse of the talks could drag Islamabad into direct conflict with its neighbor Iran, a scenario described as a potential "nightmare" by Abdul Basit, a South Asia expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.