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Pakistan hosts U.S.-Iran peace talks after weeks of frantic diplomacy

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Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them. By Betsy Joles A police officer walks past a billboard regarding the United States and Iran negotiations, outside a media facilitation center in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, April 11, 2026.
− Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, is set to host peace talks today with negotiators from Iran and the US, including Vice President J.D.
+ Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption ISLAMABAD – Highly anticipated peace talks between the United States and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, began in Islamabad on Saturday as the two sides sought a deal to end the war that has shaken the Middle East for six weeks. The talks come after American and Iranian delegations met separately with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
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+ Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad Saturday morning to lead the American delegation, while Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibef was leading the Iran delegation.
− It's the culmination of weeks of frantic diplomacy by Pakistan's leaders, who pitched the city as the venue for talks even before they took the lead as a key mediator that both the U.S.
+ It isn't clear if or when the two delegations would meet face to face. The negotiations are taking place amid a fragile ceasefire between the two countries, made even more shaky following Israel's continued strikes on Lebanon and Iran's demand to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, Israel's military continued to strike Lebanon, saying it struck more than 200 targets affiliated with the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in the last 24 hours. Iran, under its 10-point negotiation plan, is demanding an end to Israel's attacks against Hezbollah as part of any permanent agreement.
+ Other demands from the Iranian delegation include the release of $6 billion in frozen assets, guarantees around its nuclear program and the right to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump's demands, meanwhile, have shifted since the United States and Israel first launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Vice President JD Vance walks to speak with the Press before boarding Air Force Two, Friday, April 10, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., for expected departure to Pakistan, for talks on Iran. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption On Friday, Trump said that the main objective to end the war was to prevent Iran from having any nuclear capabilities. "No nuclear weapon. That's 99% percent of it," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Maryland. Trump has also said the goals for the war with Iran included destroying its military capabilities and creating regime change – neither of which have happened. Saturday's meeting in Islamabad is the culmination of weeks of frantic diplomacy by Pakistan's leaders, who pitched the city as the venue for talks even before they took the lead as a key mediator that both the U.S.
and Iran credited for helping broker a two-week ceasefire. The meeting has put Pakistan at the center of the biggest story in the world, spotlighting its normally sleepy capital that has been preparing for days for high-profile delegations to arrive.
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Ahead of the talks, many in Islamabad were still trying to get their heads around the fact that their country's diplomatic efforts actually worked.
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"I'm a bit surprised," says 19-year-old Khizra Zaheer, standing in a parking lot of a shopping area near the center of the city. "When did Pakistan get so influential?" That has been a central question in the past three weeks as Pakistan transitioned from a quiet go-between to an active participant in negotiations between the US and Iran, pulling in leaders from Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and China to support its peace efforts before putting forward a ceasefire plan. The true significance of Pakistan's intervention only became clear when both sides agreed to a pause shortly after a down-to-the-wire plea from the country's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif.
− President Trump and Iran's foreign ministry went on to name Sharif and Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, in their ceasefire announcements.
+ Police officers take position in Islamabad, Pakistan, to ensure security ahead of possible negotiations between Iran and the United States, Friday, April 10, 2026.
+ Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption President Trump and Iran's foreign ministry went on to name Sharif and Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, in their ceasefire announcements.
"That was a very rare concurrence, because no other country enjoyed the same kind of trust from both parties," says Rasheed Wali Janjua, director of research at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, a national security think-tank.
− "It's a fair assessment to say that both parties are looking for a way out." Vice President JD Vance walks to speak with the Press before boarding Air Force Two, Friday, April 10, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., for expected departure to Pakistan, for talks on Iran. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption Now, Pakistan faces another difficult task during its Islamabad talks: trying to get them to reach an agreement that can turn a fragile ceasefire into something that lasts.
+ "It's a fair assessment to say that both parties are looking for a way out." Now, Pakistan faces another difficult task during its Islamabad talks: trying to get them to reach an agreement that can turn a fragile ceasefire into something that lasts.
If the talks succeed, it could lead to "radically changed perceptions of Pakistan" in the world, says Ishtiaq Ahmad, professor emeritus at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad. That global relevance, especially in the eyes of the US, is something that Pakistan has pushed for, even as it has struggled with political and economic volatility at home. "There is a disconnect between Pakistan's diplomatic achievement and the situation back home," Ahmad says.
− There are also potential sticking points for the Islamabad talks that could derail Pakistan's ability to act as a broker of lasting peace, including the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon – which has come under Israeli attack even after Sharif declared it was covered by the ceasefire.
+ Diaa Hadid contributed to this report from Mumbai.
− Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam sought Pakistan's help directly on Thursday to bring an end to these attacks.
+ Rebecca Rosman contributed from London.
− Daniel Markey, a senior fellow with the South Asia program at the Stimson Center, says Pakistan's political leadership doesn't see Israel as "a force that it wants to reckon with," in part because its policies are deeply unpopular there. Islamabad does not recognize Israel diplomatically, and any signs in the past of that political chill easing have been met with public fury. So, talks in Islamabad have instead focused on dialogue between the United States and Iran. The U.S. delegation, led by J.D. Vance, and Iran's delegation, led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in the capital Saturday. Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, are expected to facilitate the talks. Police officers take position in Islamabad, Pakistan, to ensure security ahead of possible negotiations between Iran and the United States, Friday, April 10, 2026. Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption They, along with Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir and intelligence chief turned National Security Advisor, Asim Malik, have been main players in the country's diplomatic efforts – the official details of which were kept under tight wraps until a ceasefire was announced. The exact plan for Saturday's meeting has also been heavily guarded, even up until the morning it is set to take place. Residents of Islamabad have instead been left reading between the lines about the role their city will play. Earlier this week, a five-star hotel in Islamabad was cleared of its guests for "an important event," and the government declared a two-day holiday on Thursday and Friday, without providing a reason. A more decisive nod to the "Islamabad Talks" is a slew of billboards that have quietly popped up around the city showing Iranian, American, and Pakistani flags side by side. Islamabad was in many ways built for a moment like this; It's a government city arranged in a neat rectangle that has all major roads leading to the Red Zone, a diplomatic sector housing government buildings and most embassies, which regularly gets cordoned off with hulking shipping containers during moments of heightened security. On Friday before the talks, the usual containers were absent, but there were other signs that something is underfoot in Islamabad: lines of barbed wire, concrete barriers, and police cars blocking roads – forcing diversions that left commuters stranded. Cars careened the wrong way on major highways to avoid traffic jams, and police frantically waved down their drivers to turn them back where they came from. Muhammad Waseem, 43, stood on the side of a blocked road with his son, trying to find a motorbike rider who would pick them up and bring them home. He said the inconvenience is a small price to pay for Pakistan's role in the peace process. "Peace talks are going on, so for this we should compromise." Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor
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