US-Iran direct talks begin in Pakistan amid disputes, distrust

ISLAMABAD: The United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations Saturday in Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced, as the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week. The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks, a rare instance of high-level US govt engagement with the Iranian govt. Iran’s state-run news agency said three-party talks including Pakistan had begun after Iranian preconditions, including a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, were met. “After Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif held separate meetings with delegations from US and Iran, formal round of direct negotiations between Iran and US has officially begun on Saturday evening,” a senior official of the Shehbaz administration told PTI. The US delegation led by vice-president JD Vance and the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf were discussing how to advance the ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Hezbollah in Lebanon. Vance, accompanied by special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, arrived in Islamabad hours after Qalibaf. Both delegations were received by Pakistan deputy PM Ishaq Dar and Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, which was damaged by Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor. The Iranians were dressed in black in mourning for Ayatollah Khamenei and others killed in war.

Chinese, Egyptian, Saudi & Qatari officials in Islamabad to facilitate talks

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was also part of the delegation. Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the most direct US contact had been in Sept 2013 when President Barack Obama called newly elected President Hassan Rouhani to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme. The recent highest-level meetings were between secretary of state John Kerry and his counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif during negotiations over the programme. Iran doubled down on parts of its earlier proposal, with its delegation telling Iranian state television it had presented some of the plan’s ideas as “red lines” in meetings with Sharif. Those included compensation for damage caused by the US-Israeli strikes that launched the war on Feb 28. Reflecting the high stakes, officials from the region said Chinese, Egyptian, Saudi and Qatari officials were in Islamabad to indirectly facilitate the talks. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.