Iran, US top officials launch negotiations

Senior Iranian and American officials began negotiations in Pakistan on Saturday, Iranian media reported, in a bid to bring to an end the Middle East war which plunged the region into violence and sent shockwaves through the world economy. According to Iranian media reports, the Iranian delegation decided to begin talks with their US counterparts after meeting with their Pakistani host, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also sat down with US Vice-President JD Vance. The Iranian delegation is led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Vance was accompanied by White House envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. 'Commending the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region,' Sharif's office said.
Iran has previously said that any agreement on a permanent end to fighting must include the unfreezing of sanctioned Iranian assets as well as an end to Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Vance has said will not be up for discussion in Islamabad. But Iranian state television's correspondent at the talks said he understood that progress had been made on these issues, giving Iran the confidence to allow the talks to go ahead. A US official denied reports that Washington had already agreed to unfreeze Iran assets held in Qatar. Israel has agreed to talk to Lebanon, but ruled out ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah.

The warring parties still appeared to be far apart on key issues — including sanctions, Lebanon and the opening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz — and made no attempt to hide their mutual suspicion. 'Our experience in negotiating with the Americans has always been met with failure and broken promises,' Ghalibaf said, shortly after landing in Pakistan.
Vance said before leaving the US that if the other side was 'willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand'.
But 'if they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive', he added. The ceasefire is already under strain, notably from Israel's continued strikes in Lebanon, which Iran and Pakistan insist is covered under the current truce.
Senior Iranian and American delegations met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Saturday before negotiations towards a deal to end the Middle East war unleashed six weeks earlier by US-Israeli strikes on Tehran. With the talks under way at Islamabad's Serena Hotel, Iranian media said the negotiating format going forward had yet to be determined, and it was not clear whether the two sides would meet face-to-face or continue to exchange messages via the Pakistanis. But both sides had arrived at the venue when the Iranian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met Sharif, followed by US Vice-President JD Vance, accompanied by White House envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

'Commending the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region,' Sharif's office said. 'The Prime Minister reiterated that Pakistan looks forward to continue its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region.'Prime Minister Sharif, whose country's down-to-the-wire mediation got both sides to the negotiating table this week, said talks would not be easy.
'An even more difficult stage lies ahead,' he said, referring to efforts to permanently end fighting that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, sparking Iranian retaliation against Israel and across the Gulf. 'This is that stage which, in English, is called the equivalent of 'make or break.'
The negotiations will be closely watched by other key regional players, with Egypt and Türkiye having helped with mediation, along with China, all of which Pakistan was still coordinating closely with for the talks, the source said. In Tehran, a 30-year old resident said that he was sceptical negotiations would be successful, describing most of what Trump says as 'pure noise and nonsense.' — AFP