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Iran's president heads to Pakistan as U.S.-Iran teams work on war-ending deal

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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 The Associated Press A man walks past a welcoming billboard featuring Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, center, with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, right, and Shehbaz Sharif along a roadside in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
− Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption ISLAMABAD — Iran's president arrived in Pakistan Tuesday to meet with officials mediating talks on a permanent end to its war with the U.S., as discrepancies emerged on what had been agreed upon so far and violence broke out again in Lebanon.
+ Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption ISLAMABAD — The U.S. and Iran were in dispute Tuesday over whether Tehran had agreed to allow U.N. inspectors to view bombed Iranian nuclear sites, as officials mediated talks on a permanent end to their war and violence broke out again in Lebanon.
Middle East conflict The U.S.
− and Iran agree to a 'road map' for a final deal, mediators say President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Islamabad comes as technical teams were working on details following high-level negotiations in Switzerland on Monday between the U.S.
+ and Iran agree to a 'road map' for a final deal, mediators say The differing accounts came as Iran's president met with Pakistani officials mediating negotiations and while technical teams were working on details following talks in Switzerland between the U.S.
and Iran.
− Middle East conflict What you need to know about the preliminary U.S.-Iran agreement signed by Trump In Tehran, Iran's capital, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters that no visits were scheduled for the U.N.
+ As those talks continued, a break in the shipping bottleneck through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to be in the works. Middle East conflict What you need to know about the preliminary U.S.-Iran agreement signed by Trump The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, announced Tuesday that a plan is underway to evacuate 11,000 stranded seafarers through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded before the war. Earlier in the day, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that U.N.
− watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — to examine Iranian nuclear sites bombed by the U.S.
+ inspectors were not scheduled to examine the nuclear sites bombed by the U.S.
− last year.
+ last year, refuting comments made a day before by U.S.
− U.S.
+ Vice President JD Vance.
− Vice President JD Vance had said the negotiations he helped lead in Switzerland won an agreement for the inspectors to visit the sites. The IAEA has not responded to requests for comment over its possible role.
+ In response, President Donald Trump posted on social media that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections long into the future, saying that without this concession "there would be no further negotiations!" The International Atomic Energy Agency has not responded to requests for comment over its possible role.
It has been in and out of Iran since Israel's 12-day war in 2025, but has not been granted access to bombed enrichment sites targeted by the U.S.
+ The plan to evacuate thousands of seafarers is being done in cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal states in the region, the United States and the maritime industry, according to the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez. "We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations," he said in a statement. Vehicles drives past welcoming billboards featuring Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (right) with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (center) and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alongside an overhead bridge in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday. Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption But the uneasy ceasefire already has been tested by Iran saying it closed the strait again over fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The U.S.
− said negotiators have discussed "mechanisms" to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for oil transit that Iran effectively blocked during the war, remains open.
+ has said that negotiators have discussed "mechanisms" to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for oil transit that Iran effectively blocked during the war, remains open.
Ship traffic is increasing but questions remain about who controls the strait.
− Meanwhile, violence flared again in southern Lebanon as Israeli soldiers opened fire, killing two people.
+ Data and analytics company Kpler confirmed 39 ships crossed through the strait Monday, after about 92 crossings between Friday and Sunday.
− The reports of violence came after two days of calm following a ceasefire brokered on Saturday. Any renewal of heavy fighting could threaten the broader diplomatic talks, since Iran has demanded that a full truce in Lebanon be part of any comprehensive deal.
+ Prior to the war, roughly 100 ships a day made the journey.
− Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials received Pezeshkian upon his arrival in Islamabad amid tight security, according to Pakistani state media.
+ Pezeshkian and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday discussed a range of issues, including regional peace and economic cooperation, according to a statement from the presidency in Islamabad.
− Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also joined the delegation.
+ Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also joined the delegation that arrived in Islamabad amid tight security.
− Vehicles drives past welcoming billboards featuring Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (right) with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (center) and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alongside an overhead bridge in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday.
+ It was the Iranian president's first visit since the U.S.
− Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption It's the Iranian president's first visit since the U.S.
and Israel launched war on Iran on Feb. 28.
− Pezeshkian and Sharif were to hold a joint news conference after their discussions.
+ Pezeshkian and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were to hold a joint news conference after the discussions.
− In the initial talks, marking the start of a 60-day process that seeks to reach a permanent deal to end the Iran war, Iran and the U.S.
+ In the initial talks, marking the start of a 60-day window to reach a permanent deal to end the war, Iran and the U.S.
agreed to create a "de-confliction cell" to address the fighting in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Ahead of his meetings in Pakistan, Pezeshkian cautioned that "the effectiveness of the talks depends on full commitment to the agreed obligations and their precise implementation." Iran suggested that the talks in Switzerland led to the creation of specific negotiation groups, including those focused on sanctions relief, nuclear issues, reconstruction, and monitoring, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. The report quoted Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister leading the technical talks, saying the countries also formed a contact mechanism over ships moving through Hormuz and the fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.
+ Violence flared again in southern Lebanon Tuesday as Israeli soldiers opened fire, killing two people and coming after two days of calm following a ceasefire brokered on Saturday. Any renewal of heavy fighting could threaten the broader diplomatic talks, since Iran has demanded that a full truce in Lebanon be part of any comprehensive deal.
Israel occupies part of Lebanon and insists it must be able to attack militants launching attacks into northern Israel.
− On Tuesday, Israeli forces opened fire and killed two men in the southern Lebanese town of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported, saying the pair were next to a bulldozer clearing a road.
+ The Israeli military said troops fired at four Hezbollah members who were riding a bulldozer and a motorcycle and had entered a security zone and failed to stop despite warning shots. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that the two men were killed next to a bulldozer clearing a road.
− Separately, the agency said Israeli troops fired on residents near Hadatha who were heading to carry out a burial with a Lebanese army escort. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
No Israeli airstrikes or shelling have been reported since Sunday, a day after a ceasefire was reached, and Hezbollah also has not claimed any attacks in what has been the longest halt in the fighting since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2.
− Following the talks in Switzerland, Vance said if Iranian financial assets were unfrozen, they would be used to buy American-grown corn, wheat and soy.
+ Following the talks in Switzerland, Vance, who helped lead the negotiations, said if Iranian financial assets were unfrozen, they would be used to buy American-grown corn, wheat and soy.
Vance also said the U.S. and Qatar would have approval over the process. However, Iran has no current demand for U.S. crops and its foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday that Tehran's decisions on what to import would be based on "prices and quality." "It is interesting that the philosophy and goal of the war, which was the destruction of the Iranian civilization and the collapse of Iran, has become enriching American farmers," Baghaei said. Iran's ambassador in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, questioned Vance's contention that the U.S. and Qatar would approve how Iran uses unfrozen funds. "Iran is the only country who decides what to do with those assets," he told reporters.
− Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the "de-confliction cell" would include the Lebanese government and "ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon." But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin said Monday that his military still has "full freedom of action" to thwart any threats.
+ Meanwhile, two U.S. aircraft carriers were continuing to operate in the Middle East, the U.S. military's Central Command said.
+ A displaced family with their belongings return to their village following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday. Mohammed Zaatari/AP hide caption Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the "de-confliction cell" would include the Lebanese government and "ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon." But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin said Monday that his military still has "full freedom of action" to thwart any threats.
Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the U.S.-Iran deal. Netanyahu has vowed to keep his forces in southern Lebanon until all threats to Israel are eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing.
− When asked about Netanyahu's comments, U.S.
+ When asked about Netanyahu's comments, Trump said "we're going to take a look at it," adding that the situation would "get solved." The main highway leading south from Beirut was jammed Tuesday with people displaced from southern Lebanon returning to their homes.
− President Donald Trump said "we're going to take a look at it," adding that the situation would "get solved." The main highway leading south from Beirut was jammed Tuesday with people displaced from southern Lebanon returning to their homes.
Among them was Hawraa Nour El-Din, from the village of Khirbet Selm. "We don't want the negotiations done by the government," she said.
− "We want Iran to negotiate on our behalf, and we are returning victorious, whether everyone likes it or not." Lebanon and Israel planned another round of direct talks in Washington on Tuesday, which were expected to focus on developing a plan for an Israeli withdrawal.
+ "We want Iran to negotiate on our behalf, and we are returning victorious, whether everyone likes it or not." In Washington, the State Department said a new round of Israel-Lebanon talks began on Tuesday with both political and security issues on the agenda.
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