High-level delegations from the United States and Iran arrived in Islamabad on Saturday to begin talks aimed at ending the conflict between the two sides, following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire.
The US delegation, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, was received upon arrival by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar. The welcoming party included Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Minister for Interior Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.
The Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in the early hours of Saturday. They were met by Dar, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Munir, and Naqvi.
The “Islamabad Talks” follow an announcement on Wednesday by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who declared a two-week ceasefire. In a statement on the social media platform X, Sharif said the United States and Iran would hold discussions in the Pakistani capital, tagging the presidents of both nations in the post.
Welcoming the US Vice President, Dar commended the US commitment to achieving lasting regional and global peace and stability. The Deputy Prime Minister expressed hope that the parties would engage constructively and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching a “lasting and durable solution to the conflict.”
The negotiations are slated to begin later on Saturday.
