Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met US Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad on Saturday, the former's office said, adding that peace talks to end the Middle East war had "commenced".
"As the Islamabad Talks commenced today, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, held a meeting with His Excellency JD Vance, Vice President of the United States of America," the statement said.
"The Prime Minister reiterated that Pakistan looks forward to continuing its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region."
Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon and uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about the durability of the ceasefire and whether the United States and Iran could reach a long-term deal.
Vance said he believed the negotiations were “going to be positive,” but he also had a warning for Iran.
“If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand,” he said before departing for Islamabad, the Pakistani capital. “If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Friday reiterated Iran’s position that negotiations with the United States could not start until there is a ceasefire in Lebanon. Ghalibaf also introduced what appeared to be a new demand for frozen Iranian assets to be released.
“Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets before the commencement of negotiations,” Ghalibaf wrote on social media. “These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin.”
Later, the Iranian delegation, led by Ghalibaf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Islamabad to participate in the talks, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said.
President Donald Trump wrote on social media that Iran was overplaying its hand in advance of the talks. “The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short-term extortion of the World by using International Waterways,” he wrote, referring to Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz. “The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!”
Ghalibaf’s demand for frozen assets was not part of a 10-point framework for peace talks that Iran released Wednesday, a day after the ceasefire was announced. A slightly different framework published this week by Iran’s state broadcaster did mention unfreezing assets, but described it as a basis for negotiations, not a prerequisite for them to begin.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday, but the United States has been blocking Iranian funds. “We now know where the Iranian leadership bank accounts are,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month. “Those are being frozen.”
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