ISLAMABAD — U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan’s capital on Saturday for high-stakes talks with Iranian officials aimed at strengthening a fragile ceasefire that halted more than five weeks of conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Vance landed around 10:30 a.m. local time at Nur Khan air force base in Islamabad, where he was greeted by Pakistani officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to pool footage and reports from multiple news outlets. He received a formal welcome with a red carpet and honor guard before proceeding to the Serena Hotel for planned meetings.
The U.S. delegation, which also includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner, arrived hours after Iranian officials led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Pakistani authorities declared a two-day public holiday and imposed tight security across Islamabad to facilitate the talks, officials said.
The negotiations mark the highest-level direct engagement between the United States and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to Iranian state media and international reports. Pakistan is hosting the meetings as a mediator following its role in helping secure the recent ceasefire.
Details of the agenda remained limited as talks were set to begin later Saturday. Disagreements persist over issues including Lebanon and access to the Strait of Hormuz, which have threatened the durability of the truce, U.S. and regional officials have said. The ceasefire followed an escalation that destabilized the Middle East and disrupted global energy supplies, though specific casualty figures and timelines of the conflict were not uniformly detailed across sources.
Before departing the United States, Vance warned Iran not to “play” the U.S. side during the negotiations, a statement reported by multiple outlets including Euronews and ABC News.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the talks as a “make-or-break moment” for regional stability in a national address on Friday, according to CNN reporting.
The one-day format of the initial negotiations was reported by Iranian state media, though it was unclear whether additional rounds would follow immediately. White House officials have not released full details of U.S. positions entering the meetings.
As of Saturday afternoon, no joint statements had been issued and the exact outcomes of the day’s discussions remained unclear. Both delegations were expected to hold separate and mediated sessions with Pakistani hosts.
