JD Vance heads to Pakistan for crucial US-Iran peace talks

US Vice President JD Vance head to Pakistan for crucial US-Iran peace talks, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel.  

Vance spoke just before leaving Washington for Pakistan. Vance said he is looking forward to upcoming negotiations with Iran and that he expects the talks in Islamabad to be positive, reports AFP. He also said US President Donald Trump gave him “some pretty clear guidelines” on negotiations.

US Vice President JD Vance said Friday he hoped for a "positive" outcome as he departed Washington for US-Iran peace talks being held in Pakistan.

"We're going to try to have a positive negotiation," he told reporters before take-off from Joint Base Andrews. "If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive."

Vance said he is looking forward to the upcoming talks and expressed confidence that they could yield positive results. 

“We believe talks with Iran will be positive,” he stated, signaling cautious optimism from the US side.

 "The vice president emphasized that the delegation is acting under clear instructions from President Donald Trump. “President Trump has given us some clear instructions regarding talks,” Vance said, underscoring the administration’s focused approach to diplomacy.

Vance stressed that progress will depend on Iran’s willingness to engage constructively. “If the Iranians are ready to talk in good faith, then we are also ready,” he said, highlighting the US position on mutual cooperation. The talks in Pakistan are being closely watched as a potential turning point in easing tensions between the US and Iran. With both sides expressing readiness for dialogue, the upcoming discussions could play a key role in shaping the region’s future stability.

Pakistan has put in place extensive security and administrative arrangements as it prepares to host peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad aimed at ending the war and permanently restore key oil supply route.

Delegations led by US Vice-President JD Vance and Iran's Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf are set to hold direct talks in Islamabad.

Tensions linger over Israel's post-truce airstrikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, which the US calls a misunderstanding while Iran warns time is running out and threatens to walk away from talks.

Negotiations focus on Iran's 10-point proposal for nuclear limits and de-escalation against a US counteroffer, with Pakistan mediating. 

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, a control room has been established at the Ministry of Interior to monitor security and other logistical measures linked to the high-level negotiations.

The arrangements were reviewed at a meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, where officials examined in detail the security plan and readiness in the federal capital.

The minister directed that comprehensive arrangements be made for foreign guests and instructed authorities to ensure full hospitality and security for visiting delegations.

During the meeting, it was decided that Islamabad’s Red Zone would be completely sealed, with entry permitted only to authorised individuals.

Addressing participants, Mohsin Naqvi described the hosting of the United States-Iran talks in Islamabad as an honour for Pakistan.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, the federal interior secretary, the chief commissioner, the inspector general of Islamabad Police, the Rawalpindi commissioner, the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency, and the deputy commissioner of Islamabad, as well as representatives from the Rangers, the Federal Constabulary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pakistan is set to host the scheduled peace talks following a two-week ceasefire announced earlier this week after mediation efforts by Islamabad. The truce was based on a 10-point proposal from Iran, which was accepted by Washington as a general framework for negotiations.

Delegations from both countries are expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday, with formal talks reportedly set to begin on Saturday. The United States delegation is being led by Vice President JD Vance, dispatched by President Donald Trump for the negotiations.

Separately, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday to review progress on Pakistan’s mediation efforts.

Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the de-escalation achieved so far and stressed the importance of maintaining peace and upholding the ceasefire.

اسلام آباد مذاکرات کے لئے غیر ملکی وفود کی آمد
وفاقی وزیر داخلہ محسن نقوی کی زیر صدارت سکیورٹی و دیگر انتظامات سے متعلق خصوصی اجلاس
اسلام آباد میں امریکہ ایران مذاکرات کے حوالے سے تیاریوں اور سکیورٹی پلان کا تفصیلی جائزہ pic.twitter.com/mTNmdtHX0G

— Ministry of Interior GoP (@MOIofficialGoP) April 10, 2026

Pakistan was poised on Friday to host Iranian and US delegations for negotiations in its capital, although Tehran's participation remained uncertain after deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon threatened this week's temporary truce.
Separately, Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington next week, a State Department official said, amid mounting international concern that Israel's bombing campaign could shatter the already fragile two-week US-Iran ceasefire.
Islamabad was pressing ahead with its preparations for the high-stakes negotiations, which official sources say will canvass several sensitive points, including Iran's nuclear enrichment and the free flow of trade through the strategic Strait of Hormuz maritime chokepoint.
But, even as security was ramped up in Islamabad and the main luxury hotel hosting delegates was cleared of its normal well-heeled guests, Iran signalled that its participation could hinge on a halt in Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
"The holding of talks to end the war is dependent on the US adhering to its ceasefire commitments on all fronts, especially in Lebanon," Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, said.
"If the travel plan is finalised, the composition of the delegation will also be announced," he added.
Nevertheless, Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards signalled they were committing to the ceasefire, according to the state broadcaster.
"We would like to inform you that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not launched anything at any country during the ceasefire hours until now," the Guards said.
On Wednesday, Israel's heaviest strikes on Lebanon since Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in early March killed hundreds, rattling the uneasy ceasefire between Washington and Tehran less than 48 hours after it came into force.
Pakistan has insisted that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire, and Washington made a push to include Beirut in parallel talks.
"We can confirm that the Department will host a meeting next week to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon," a US State Department official said.
Neither Israel nor the Lebanese government have publicly confirmed these talks, although the announcement came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his ministers to seek direct dialogue with Lebanon focused on disarming Iran-backed Hezbollah.
A Lebanese government official told AFP that Beirut would require a truce before entering any negotiations with Israel.
Attacks continued overnight, with air raid sirens in Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv and other parts of the country and Hezbollah announcing it carried out drone and rocket strikes early on Friday on Israeli forces on both sides of the border as well as a town in Israel's north.

Israel's refusal to halt operations in Lebanon has cast a shadow over the expected talks in Pakistan where many roads in the capital were closed on Friday during a two-day public holiday that turned the city into a ghost town as it prepared for delegates' arrival.
The two-week truce was agreed to allow negotiations between US and Iranian officials aimed at ending a conflict that has already killed thousands and plunged the global economy into turmoil.
Iranian officials said Israel's strikes had rendered the Pakistan talks "meaningless" and that Lebanon was an "inseparable part of the ceasefire."
Tehran's ambassador to Pakistan on Thursday deleted a social media post saying an Iranian delegation would arrive in the country later that day.
Still, Vice President JD Vance is due to lead the US delegation on Saturday, joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Fresh fractures in the mediation process emerged when Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif wrote a sharp criticism of Israel's strikes on Lebanon Thursday evening, in a post taken down hours later on Friday.
"Israel is evil and a curse for humanity -- while peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon," he wrote on X, adding that he hoped "people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land" would "burn in hell."
The Israeli Prime Minister's office called the remarks outrageous, saying: "This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace."
Pakistan does not formally recognise Israel -- a fact that could complicate its role as mediator -- and has insisted the ceasefire includes Lebanon, which Israel disputes.
Fearing the truce may be in jeopardy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz -- echoing worries in other capitals -- warned that the destruction in Lebanon could cause "the peace process as a whole to fail."
Netanyahu, who insists Lebanon is not covered by the ceasefire, said his message was clear: "Anyone who acts against Israeli civilians, we will strike them. We will continue to hit Hezbollah wherever necessary."

Trump told NBC News that Israel was "scaling back" strikes in Lebanon and that Netanyahu had assured him its attacks would become more "low-key."

US-Iran talks in Pakistan uncertain as sides trade accusations

AFP reported on Friday that a cloud of uncertainty hung Friday over the scheduled start of talks in Pakistan between the United States and Iran, with no announcement yet on the arrival of negotiators and both sides accusing the other of failing to properly implement a fragile ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump has voiced displeasure at Iran's handling of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which was meant to be reopened under the deal, while Tehran has reacted angrily to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, insisting that it too falls under the agreement -- something Washington disputes.

Islamabad was nonetheless pressing ahead with its preparations for the high-stakes talks, which official sources say will cover several sensitive points, including Iran's nuclear enrichment and the free flow of trade through the strait.

Iran has suggested that its participation could hinge on a halt in Israeli attacks on Lebanon: "The holding of talks to end the war is dependent on the US adhering to its ceasefire commitments on all fronts, especially in Lebanon," said Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman.

Iranian officials have said the Israeli strikes had rendered the Pakistan talks "meaningless".

Nevertheless, Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards signalled they were committing to the ceasefire and had "not launched anything at any country", according to the state broadcaster.

In a barrage of social media posts that sparked fresh fears for the shaky truce, Trump on Thursday accused Iran of doing a "very poor job" of allowing oil through the Strait of Hormuz and of breaching the terms of their ceasefire agreement.

A fifth of the world's oil and vast quantities of natural gas and fertiliser pass through the strait in peacetime, but only a small number of vessels have crossed since the truce was announced.

- 'Meaningless' -

The two-week truce was agreed to allow negotiations between US and Iranian officials aimed at ending a conflict that has already killed thousands and plunged the global economy into turmoil.

"I am scared of the war starting again, and at the same time I'm scared of the regime staying", Tehran resident Sheida told AFP, withholding her last name out of concern for her safety.

Contributing to the uncertainty around the planned talks, Tehran's ambassador to Pakistan on Thursday deleted a social media post saying an Iranian delegation would arrive in the country later that day.

Still, Vice President JD Vance is due to lead the US delegation on Saturday, joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Fresh fractures in the mediation process emerged when Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif joined in the criticism of Israel's strikes on Lebanon, calling the country a "cancerous state" and "a curse for humanity" on Thursday evening, in a post taken down hours later.

The Israeli prime minister's office called the remarks outrageous, saying: "This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace."

Pakistan does not formally recognise Israel -- a fact that could complicate its role as mediator -- and has insisted the ceasefire includes Lebanon.

One 30-year-old resident of Tehran told AFP they were sceptical negotiations will be successful, describing most of what Trump says as "pure noise and nonsense".

"He wants to manipulate the Islamic republic into getting a deal. I think that was his intention, if you can say there is an intention."

- Parallel talks -

Air raid sirens sounded early Friday in Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv and other parts of the country, with Hezbollah announcing it carried out drone and rocket strikes targeting Israeli forces on both sides of the border as well as a town in Israel's north.

On Wednesday, less than 48 hours after the ceasefire came into force, Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since Iran-backed Hezbollah entered the Middle East war, killing more than 300 people.

Afterwards, Trump told NBC News that Israel was "scaling back" strikes in Lebanon and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had assured him its attacks would become more "low-key".

A Western diplomat said on condition of anonymity that there was ongoing "pressure from European states, Gulf states and Egypt on Israel to prevent renewed Israeli airstrikes on Beirut after 'Black Wednesday'".

As of Friday morning, the Israeli army had not acted on warnings the day before that it would strike wide areas in the capital's south.

Washington has said the Lebanese front of the war will be dealt with under separate talks.

"We can confirm that the Department will host a meeting next week to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon," a US State Department official said.

Neither Israel nor the Lebanese government have publicly confirmed these talks, although the announcement came shortly after Netanyahu ordered his ministers to seek direct dialogue with Lebanon focused on disarming Hezbollah.

A Lebanese government official told AFP that Beirut would require a truce before entering any negotiations with Israel.

Reporter: Awais Kiyani