US-Iran Peace Talks In Islamabad: JD Vance And Ghalibaf Meet To Discuss Fragile Ceasefire & Regional Stability

High-level US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad are set to test whether deep mistrust can ease while a fragile two-week ceasefire holds and fighting rages in Lebanon. Any image of US Vice-President JD Vance beside Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf would mark the most senior direct encounter since the 1979 Islamic Revolution severed their close strategic partnership.

The meeting, hosted by Pakistan, comes as Israel continues major strikes in Lebanon and as negotiators try to prevent the regional war from widening further. Officials on all sides say diplomacy is aimed at extending the ceasefire, reducing risks around the Strait of Hormuz and exploring a possible wider deal, even though expectations for a quick "peace deal" remain extremely low.

US-Iran peace talks and Islamabad's high-stakes agenda

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad a "make or break" moment for efforts to end the war. In a televised national address, Sharif said delegations from both Washington and Tehran would begin discussions in the capital on Saturday, describing the summit as a source of pride for Pakistan and for what Sharif termed the "Muslim world".

Pakistan has served as go-between for several weeks, drawing on long ties with Iran and a working relationship with Washington. US President Donald Trump says Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir "knows Iran better than most". British Prime Minister Keir Starmer later praised Pakistan's "critical role" in securing the current two-week ceasefire and backed Islamabad's diplomatic push.

US-Iran peace talks and the delegations heading to Islamabad

Iranian state media report that the Iranian negotiating team, led by Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has already landed in Islamabad. Ghalibaf is joined by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Defence Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati and several MPs, after travelling on two Iranian government aircraft tracked as IRAN04 and IRAN05.

One of those planes, IRAN04, left Gorgan around 17:00 GMT, instead of the usual departure point at Tehran's Mehrabad airport, which has been hit a number of times during the war. Both aircraft crossed Afghan airspace before reaching an airfield near Pakistan's capital, according to Flightradar24, underlining security concerns around Iranian government flights.

US-Iran peace talks, proposals and complex preconditions

President Donald Trump says the US has received a 10-point proposal from Iran, describing it as "a workable basis on which to negotiate". Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has separately mentioned a 15-point proposal which Trump's senior negotiators believe could end the conflict. Neither document has been officially released, although reported drafts have leaked.

Diplomatic assessments suggest the two sets of ideas remain far apart. Iran's delegation leader has already set preconditions, including a ceasefire in Lebanon and the unfreezing of billions of dollars in Iranian assets. These demands highlight how many disputes overlap, from nuclear activity and sanctions to regional militias and the future of the Strait of Hormuz.

The nuclear file remains the longest-running dispute. Tehran says it has never tried to build a weapon, yet since Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear agreement eight years ago, Iran has enriched uranium far beyond levels needed for civilian use. US officials want Iran to surrender enriched stockpiles, believed to lie under rubble at a site near Isfahan, and to promise never to seek a bomb.

Tehran insists that Iran's right to enrich uranium is non-negotiable and wants all sanctions lifted, plus compensation for damage from recent attacks. Iranian leaders also demand guarantees against further strikes after being hit twice in the last year while believing talks were still active. Few analysts expect Islamabad to resolve all this, but many hope the ceasefire at least survives.

The Strait of Hormuz has become another central bargaining issue between the US and Iran. Before the war, shipping traffic passed without major Iranian interference. Since the conflict began, Iran has gained a chokehold over one of the world's key oil routes and wants new rules for maritime transit, possibly involving inspections, tolls or restrictions on access.

Many governments, especially in Gulf states, view such ideas as unacceptable. Israel and the US also want Iran to curb what they describe as malign regional influence, including backing groups across Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Tehran, in turn, seeks the complete lifting of international sanctions that have badly damaged Iran's economy over many years.

US-Iran peace talks and pressure from Lebanon front

Events in Lebanon are casting a heavy shadow over US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the ceasefire does not apply to Lebanon, and on Wednesday the Israeli military carried out widespread strikes across the country, which the Lebanese health ministry says left more than 300 people dead in a single day.

Overall, Lebanese officials report 1,953 people killed since the war began, including 357 deaths after Wednesday's large-scale strikes. The health ministry says 6,303 people have been injured so far, with 1,223 wounded since that latest bombardment. Israel's military claims it killed 180 Hezbollah fighters on Wednesday, while Lebanon says the dead include 13 state security personnel in Nabatieh.

Location	Period	Reported killed	Reported injured
Lebanon (total)	Since war began	1,953	6,303
Lebanon (Wednesday strikes)	Wide-scale Israeli attacks	357	1,223
Hezbollah fighters (Israeli claim)	Wednesday strikes	180	Not stated
State security personnel, Nabatieh	Recent strikes	13	Not stated

On the streets of Beirut, residents describe terror as strikes hit residential and commercial areas. Shopkeeper Ghayath Itani tells the BBC that a residential block was struck, then three more strikes smashed into a nearby warehouse, sending metal fragments into homes and shops and trapping residents when stairs and lifts became unusable.

Another Beirut local, Tarek Ismail, says his brother had been standing at the shop door when a strike hit the floor above. "There was a massacre down there because the flat was crowded with displaced people and children," Ismail says, describing how he ran to find his brother injured among the debris and chaos.

Souheil Hamad recounts how the series of blasts left everyone convinced the building would collapse. "The first strike we were all scared," Hamad says. "Then it all happened one after another, I wanted to leave [but] I couldn't... The last strike, the glass was shattered on us, we thought that was it, the building is falling down on us and we will all die."

Hamad continues: "Once [I] went out all I saw was smoke and a massacre, people everywhere and fire." Hamad adds that even places once seen as safe are now targeted. "The civilians are getting hit," Hamad says. "No security at all." Images from Nabatieh show emergency teams battling fires amid rubble and twisted metal after Israeli strikes.

Doctors in Beirut describe scenes they have rarely witnessed during previous escalations. Karl Jallad, health system chief medical officer at the Lebanese American University Medical Centre, recalls hearing the explosions before casualties began arriving "within minutes" of Wednesday's bombardment. "We immediately knew we were facing something different", Jallad told BBC News.

Jallad says around 20 patients needed urgent operations or amputations, while some were already dead when they reached the hospital. Dr. Firass Abiad tells Radio 4's Today programme that conditions across Lebanon are "devastating", with those suffering "severe injuries" ranging from an eight-month-old child to a 90-year-old man who later died from wounds.

US-Iran peace talks, Lebanon diplomacy and Washington channel

Lebanon's Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar says a ceasefire is his country's top demand as Israeli strikes continue. Visiting a major blast site in Beirut, Hajjar tells the BBC: "The goal is the ceasefire. Whatever is required, even going to the far end of the world, we are ready to do it in order to get security, peace and stability for our country."

"We are working very seriously on a diplomatic path," Hajjar adds. Lebanese officials stress they will only enter direct talks with Israel once a ceasefire is in place. The Lebanese presidency now says Lebanon and Israel will meet on Tuesday at the US State Department in Washington, with the US mediating, to "seek an announcement on a ceasefire and a date to begin direct negotiations".

According to President Joseph Aoun's office, the Washington meeting follows a reported call between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in the US, along with the US ambassador to Lebanon. The phone discussion focused on organising the agenda for Tuesday's talks, which are widely seen as running in parallel with the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad.

Israel has agreed to formal peace discussions with Lebanese representatives in Washington, yet insists it will not negotiate any ceasefire directly with Hezbollah. "Israel refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which continues to attack Israel and is the main obstacle to peace between the two countries," Israel's ambassador to the US, Michael Leiter, says.

US-Iran peace talks, regional diplomacy and global shipping worries

Concerns over the Strait of Hormuz sit at the heart of wider diplomatic activity surrounding US-Iran peace talks. The UK plans to convene officials from 41 countries next week as part of efforts to ensure the waterway is reopened. The meeting, led by the Foreign Office's political director, follows an earlier roundtable chaired by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

"We are pushing very hard for a mechanism to reopen the strait," a UK government source says. The source argues that Britain's extensive diplomatic network and relationships with mid-level and smaller states could help coordinate joint action. Western officials worry that any Iranian control over tolls or inspections in the strait would unsettle global energy markets.

Keir Starmer told Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif he appreciated Pakistan's work on US-Iran peace talks, according to a post from Sharif on X. Sharif says Starmer passed on good wishes for the Islamabad discussions. "Both leaders emphasised the importance of ensuring that the ceasefire remains in place and creates the necessary conditions for lasting peace and stability in the region," the message notes.

The same message says the two prime ministers agreed to cooperate across "all spheres of mutual interest". Downing Street later said Starmer had thanked Sharif for a "critical role" in securing the ceasefire and underlined the UK's support for diplomatic efforts aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and moving towards a longer-term settlement.

Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's former representative to the UN, tells BBC Radio 5 Live that the US-Iran peace talks are almost certain to proceed. Lodhi describes "cautious optimism" in Islamabad that both delegations will at least start serious engagement and gain a clearer sense of each other's positions, which could inform further negotiations.

Lodhi calls it "entirely unrealistic" to expect a full agreement within hours. Lodhi says the most that can be hoped for is that both sides reach a "broad understanding" and agree to keep talking. Any outlines would then be taken back to capitals for approval, before technical teams attempt to work out more detailed arrangements.

US-Iran peace talks, American stance and messages from Trump

US Vice-President JD Vance is travelling to Islamabad to lead the American side, joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Air Force Two left the US around eight hours before a scheduled fuel stop in Paris, with the White House press pool describing the overseas leg as "uneventful".

Before boarding a separate flight to Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump spoke to reporters about the mission. Asked what message Trump had sent to Vance before departure, Trump replies: "I wished him luck". Trump says he does not know whether US-Iran talks will be limited to this weekend or extend over coming weeks.

Questioned on whether Washington has a contingency if talks stall, Trump answers that "you don't need a back-up plan". Pressed on what a successful deal with Iran would look like, Trump responds: "No nuclear weapon," and suggests that, in Trump's view, regime change has already happened. Trump repeats that preventing Iran from obtaining a bomb is the main objective.

Trump also claims the Strait of Hormuz will reopen "with or without" Iranian cooperation, telling reporters that the US does not depend on it. "We will have that open fairly soon," Trump says. Asked about reports that Iran wants to levy tolls on ships passing through the strait, Trump replies: "we're not going to let that happen".

US-Iran peace talks and signals from Tehran's delegation

Iranian political observers say the composition of Tehran's delegation indicates serious engagement, even as distrust remains high. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has become an influential figure within Iran's leadership and is seen as a possible future president. Ghalibaf leads the Islamabad team but has recently used X posts to underline Iran's mistrust of the US.

There were unconfirmed reports during the recent war that US officials briefly considered Ghalibaf as a potential interlocutor and even a future leader. Abbas Araghchi brings long experience from nuclear negotiations over Iran's contested programme, which triggered many Western sanctions. The most recent nuclear talks took place just two days before the current war erupted on 28 February.

Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati's role highlights Tehran's focus on sanctions relief. Iranian officials have signalled they want all economic sanctions removed, arguing that years of restrictions have severely weakened Iran's economy. Tehran also wants compensation for destruction during the past month, including US and Israeli strikes on key sectors such as steel and petrochemicals.

Iran's economic problems have deepened since the war began, compounded by a nationwide government-imposed internet blackout that started on 28 February and still continues. Businesses say the outage has hurt trade, payments and services, adding to the impact of physical attacks on industrial sites. Iranian leaders are expected to push hard on sanctions and connectivity during the Islamabad discussions.

The Iranian team also chose a highly symbolic flight for an earlier leg of their journey. Tehran says the delegation travelled on an aircraft named after the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab, which was destroyed on the first day of the war. The flight, "Minab 168", honours the 168 people, mostly children, who Iranian officials say were killed there.

Iran says the school was hit on 28 February by a missile strike that razed the building in Minab. Media reports quote US military investigators as saying American forces were likely responsible for the strike, though unintentionally. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has previously said the incident is under investigation, and no final findings have yet been released.

After landing in Pakistan, Ghalibaf posted a picture on X from inside the aircraft. The photo shows four seats, each with a child's backpack and a flower, and a photograph of a child placed above. "My companions on this flight," Ghalibaf writes, using the image to stress civilian suffering ahead of the peace talks.

If photographers capture JD Vance standing next to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Islamabad, it will represent the highest direct contact between officials of the Islamic Republic and the US since 1979. They may neither smile nor shake hands, and any image will not itself reduce decades of hostility, but it would signal that both governments are willing to explore diplomacy amid an extremely fragile ceasefire.

FAQs

What is the main aim of the US-Iran peace talks held in Islamabad, and how is the two-week ceasefire connected?

The talks seek to extend the ceasefire and reduce regional risks, including around the Strait of Hormuz, while trying to prevent wider conflict in the area.

Who are the key participants in the Islamabad negotiations on the Iranian and American sides?

On the Iranian side, the delegation is led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and includes Abbas Araghchi and Abdolnaser Hemmati among others; on the American side, Vice-President JD Vance leads, joined by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with Pakistan hosting the talks.

What preconditions and proposals are mentioned regarding the talks and sanctions relief?

Iran has preconditions such as a Lebanon ceasefire and unfreezing assets, while the US references Iranian proposals (10-point from Trump and a 15-point Iranian plan); both sides aim to resolve issues around sanctions and the Strait of Hormuz, though no final documents are released publicly.

How is Lebanon involved in the broader context of these peace negotiations?

Lebanon is experiencing Israeli strikes and casualties, heightening the urgency for a ceasefire; Lebanese officials insist on a ceasefire prior to direct talks with Israel, while the wider talks in Islamabad and Washington run in parallel with regional diplomacy.

What symbolic details about Tehran's delegation are noted, and why might they matter for the talks?

The Tehran delegation, including Ghalibaf and others, signals serious engagement; a flight named after Minab school and posts highlighting civilian suffering are used to emphasize humanitarian concerns ahead of negotiations.