Updated April 11, 2026 at 9:36 AM MDT
ISLAMABAD – Highly anticipated face to face peace talks between the United States and Iran began in Islamabad on Saturday as the two sides look to reach a deal to end the war that has shaken the Middle East for six weeks.
Vice President JD Vance, who arrived in Islamabad Saturday morning to lead the American delegation, was meeting with senior Iranian negotiators, according to U.S. officials. The talks, mediated by Pakistan, come after the American and Iranian delegations met separately with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The negotiations are taking place amid a fragile ceasefire between the two countries, made even more shaky following Israel's continued strikes on Lebanon and Iran's demand to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz.
On Saturday, Israel's military continued to strike Lebanon, saying it struck more than 200 targets affiliated with the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in the last 24 hours.
Iran, under its 10-point negotiation plan, is demanding an end to Israel's attacks against Hezbollah as part of any permanent agreement. Other demands from the Iranian delegation include the release of $6 billion in frozen assets, guarantees around its nuclear program and the right to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump's demands, meanwhile, have shifted since the United States and Israel first launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
On Friday, Trump said that the main objective to end the war was to prevent Iran from having any nuclear capabilities.
"No nuclear weapon. That's 99% percent of it," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Maryland.
Trump has also said the goals for the war with Iran included destroying its military capabilities and creating regime change – neither of which have happened.
Pakistan's turn as a mediator
Saturday's meeting in Islamabad is the culmination of weeks of frantic diplomacy by Pakistan's leaders, who pitched the city as the venue for talks even before they took the lead as a key mediator that both the U.S. and Iran credited for helping broker a two-week ceasefire.
The meeting has put Pakistan at the center of the biggest story in the world, spotlighting its normally sleepy capital that has been preparing for days for high-profile delegations to arrive.
Ahead of the talks, many in Islamabad were still trying to get their heads around the fact that their country's diplomatic efforts actually worked.
"I'm a bit surprised," says 19-year-old Khizra Zaheer, standing in a parking lot of a shopping area near the center of the city. "When did Pakistan get so influential?"
That has been a central question in the past three weeks as Pakistan transitioned from a quiet go-between to an active participant in negotiations between the US and Iran, pulling in leaders from Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and China to support its peace efforts before putting forward a ceasefire plan. The true significance of Pakistan's intervention only became clear when both sides agreed to a pause shortly after a down-to-the-wire plea from the country's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif.
President Trump and Iran's foreign ministry went on to name Sharif and Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, in their ceasefire announcements. "That was a very rare concurrence, because no other country enjoyed the same kind of trust from both parties," says Rasheed Wali Janjua, director of research at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, a national security think-tank. "It's a fair assessment to say that both parties are looking for a way out."
Now, Pakistan faces another difficult task during its Islamabad talks: trying to get them to reach an agreement that can turn a fragile ceasefire into something that lasts.
If the talks succeed, it could lead to "radically changed perceptions of Pakistan" in the world, says Ishtiaq Ahmad, professor emeritus at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad. That global relevance, especially in the eyes of the US, is something that Pakistan has pushed for, even as it has struggled with political and economic volatility at home. "There is a disconnect between Pakistan's diplomatic achievement and the situation back home," Ahmad says.
Diaa Hadid contributed to this report from Mumbai. Rebecca Rosman contributed from London.
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