Islamabad (TDI): US Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Islamabad with a senior American delegation for what officials are describing as critical, high-stakes discussions with Iranian counterparts.
The talks come during a temporary pause in hostilities following recent US–Israeli military actions against Iran, which began in late February and escalated tensions across the Middle East before a ceasefire arrangement was reached earlier this month with Pakistani diplomatic involvement.
Upon arrival at Nur Khan Air Base, Vice President Vance was received by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar along with Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Asim Munir.
The American delegation also includes senior figures such as Jared Kushner and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside officials from the National Security Council, State Department, and Pentagon. Supporting security and technical teams had already arrived in Islamabad ahead of the visit.
On the Iranian side, the delegation is headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Other senior figures taking part include Ali Akbar Ahmadian and central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, according to Iranian state media.
These discussions mark the first high-level direct engagement between Washington and Tehran in decades, raising the stakes significantly for both sides.
Tensions had briefly threatened to derail the process after Tehran insisted it would not proceed without a halt to Israeli strikes in Lebanon and the release of frozen Iranian assets estimated at around $7 billion. Iranian officials maintained that these conditions were essential prior to formal negotiations.
Despite the friction, diplomatic channels remained active, with Pakistani mediators playing a key role in maintaining momentum toward the Islamabad meeting.
As delegations settle in, attention now turns to whether the fragile diplomatic framework can hold long enough to produce meaningful progress between two long-standing adversaries.
