TOPSHOT – A policeman stands guard in entrance of a digital display screen displaying information of USIran peace talks alongside a street in Islamabad on April 10, 2026. (Picture by Farooq NAEEM / AFP through Getty Photographs)
Farooq Naeem | Afp | Getty Photographs
Pakistan confirmed the arrival of a delegation of Iranian negotiators forward of talks on Saturday with the U.S. to finish the six-week-old struggle Washington and Tel Aviv have led in opposition to Tehran.
The negotiations will search to cement a two-week ceasefire that started Tuesday however which has come beneath pressure as Iran continues to dam most transport site visitors via the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most crucial chokepoint for oil and fuel provides.
Pakistan’s overseas ministry mentioned the Iranian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and International Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived within the capital Islamabad late Friday.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and International Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar “expressed the hope that events would have interaction constructively, and reiterated Pakistan’s want to proceed facilitating the events in the direction of reaching [a] lasting and sturdy resolution to the battle,” Pakistan’s overseas ministry mentioned in a publish on X.
However query marks cling over the ceasefire and the result of the talks. Ghalibaf warned Friday that scheduled negotiations to finish the struggle with the US can not start except Israel halts assaults on Lebanon and except the U.S. releases Tehran’s frozen property.
Ghalibaf issued that ultimatum after an American delegation led by Vice President JD Vance left for Islamabad for the talks.
“Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the events have but to be applied: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the discharge of Iran’s blocked property previous to the graduation of negotiations,” Ghalibaf mentioned in an X publish.
“These two issues have to be fulfilled earlier than negotiations start,” he wrote.
Earlier Friday, Vance instructed reporters he thinks the negotiations shall be “constructive,” whereas warning Iran to not “play us.”
Vance’s workforce landed in Islamabad early Saturday and was met by U.S. Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Trump’s frustration with Iran
In the meantime, Trump has expressed frustration with Iran persevering with to dam most transport site visitors via the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait is the world’s most important transport route for oil. Earlier than the struggle, 20% of the world’s crude was transported via that passage.
In an announcement Tuesday night, Trump mentioned that the U.S. would comply with a two-week suspension of hostilities topic to Iran agreeing to a whole and fast reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
However since then, vessel site visitors via the strait stays almost as tightly throttled because it has been for the reason that struggle started on Feb. 28.
In a Fact Social publish on Thursday night, Trump fumed, “There are experiences that Iran is charging charges to tankers going via the Hormuz Strait — They higher not be and, if they’re, they higher cease now!”
Iran “is doing a really poor job, dishonorable some would say, of permitting Oil to undergo the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote in a follow-up publish. “That isn’t the settlement we’ve!”
