Senior US and Iranian officials were in Islamabad on Saturday for talks aimed at ending their six-week-old war, although Tehran cast doubt over the negotiations by saying they could not begin without commitments on Lebanon and sanctions.
The US delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance and including President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, arrived in Islamabad on Saturday morning aboard two US Air Force aircraft.
They were received at an air base by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
The Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in the Pakistani capital on Friday.
The negotiations follow a two-week ceasefire announced by President Trump after weeks of conflict that saw US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The meeting is set to mark the highest-level contact between the United States and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. If both sides hold face-to-face negotiations as expected, it would also be their first direct talks since the 2015 agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
A security personnel stands guard outside the media centre near the road leading to Serena Hotel, as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to hold high-stakes talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 11, 2026. —Reuters
A convoy heads toward the Serena Hotel, as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to hold peace talks, in Islamabad, April 11, 2026. —Reuters
US Vice President JD Vance shakes hands with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir as Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Islamabad Natalie A Baker and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar look on, after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Saturday, April 11, 2026. — Reuters
US Vice President JD Vance talks with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Saturday, April 11, 2026. — Reuters
US Vice President JD Vance disembarks from Air Force Two after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Saturday, April 11, 2026. — Reuters
US Vice President JD Vance, walks with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Islamabad Natalie A Baker, and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi, after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Saturday, April 11, 2026. — Reuters
A Pakistani official stands during the arrival of the US Vice President JD Vance for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Saturday, April 11, 2026. —ReutersUS Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner walk with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for peace talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Saturday, April 11, 2026. —Reuters
A man walks past a billboard near the media centre as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to hold peace talks in Islamabad, April 11, 2026. — ReutersA man rides his motorbike past a billboard installed alongside a road as as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to hold peace talks in Islamabad, April 11, 2026. — Reuters
The Iranian delegation led by parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is welcomed by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Asim Munir and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammad Ishaq Dar, in Islamabad, April 10, 2026 in this screen grab from handout video. —Reuters
This screengrab of handout video released on April 11, 2026, by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry shows the Iranian delegation walking down the stairs of their plane after arriving at Nur Khan Airbase in Islamabad. —AFPThis handout photograph taken and released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 11, 2026 shows Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (2nd R) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim (2nd L) walking with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (centre L) and Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (centre R) upon their arrival at Nur Khan air base in Islamabad. —AFP
