US Vice President JD Vance is leading a high-stakes Washington delegation to Islamabad for face-to-face talks with Iranian representatives after a shaky two-week ceasefire in the Middle East. Pakistan is hosting the negotiations and has described the meeting as a “make-or-break” moment for a longer-term truce, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledging full support and asking citizens to pray for success.
The US delegation arrives amid sharp rhetoric and mounting pressures. President Donald Trump has publicly threatened military strikes should talks fail, saying US warships are being rearmed and warning Tehran not to “play” Washington. He has also claimed Iran is “militarily defeated,” predicted the Strait of Hormuz will be “open fairly soon,” and argued Tehran has “no cards” beyond that waterway. Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton criticized the administration’s Iran strategy, calling it panicked and warning of escalation risks.
Iran’s negotiating team, led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other security, political, military and economic officials, arrived in Islamabad. Iranian state media said Tehran will only enter talks if Washington accepts certain preconditions. Ghalibaf and other officials have specified two main conditions: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets. Tehran has also signaled concern about whether any deal will address broader regional issues, including Hezbollah and Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
The inclusion of Lebanon in the talks has been a particular flashpoint. Israel has ruled out discussing a ceasefire with Hezbollah as part of upcoming negotiations with Lebanon, even as US-mediated contacts between Beirut and Jerusalem are scheduled to begin in Washington. Israel says its strikes target Hezbollah infrastructure; Lebanon reports heavy civilian casualties. Since the start of the conflict, Lebanese authorities have said Israeli strikes killed at least 1,953 people. Separate reporting said a wave of strikes on Wednesday killed at least 357 people and injured more than 1,200, while another rapid series of attacks earlier in the week reportedly killed at least 303 people in minutes. Israel has claimed it killed scores of Hezbollah fighters in recent operations.
The humanitarian situation in Lebanon is deteriorating, with the UN warning of a “perfect storm.” International aid is constrained by safety and funding shortfalls. Amid the ceasefire, some religious sites reopened: over 100,000 worshippers attended Friday prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque after closures since the start of the US-Israel campaign against Iran.
Pakistan has tightened security around Islamabad ahead of the talks, prompting comparisons to a city on lockdown. Authorities and analysts emphasize the symbolic and practical importance of a successful outcome. Islamabad negotiated hosting the meetings and is offering logistical and diplomatic support; Sharif framed them as decisive for the possibility of a durable ceasefire in the weeks-long conflict.
Observers remain cautious. Analysts point to fractures within Iran’s political and military establishment that could complicate any agreement, with hard-line factions reportedly resistant to concessions while other leaders seek de-escalation. The question of verification, Iran’s nuclear stockpiles and demands over deeply buried enriched uranium were raised in US public statements; President Trump suggested uncertainty over Iran’s declarations about dismantling nuclear capabilities.
In parallel diplomacy, the US, Lebanon and Israel have begun contacts intended to address ceasefire terms and the disarmament of Hezbollah. A US-mediated meeting between Lebanon and Israel in Washington is set to explore a ceasefire and a timeline for broader negotiations — even as Israel insists it will not negotiate a ceasefire directly with Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by several countries.
Religious and global leaders have called for restraint. Pope Leo XIV urged coexistence and dialogue, declaring that “God does not bless any conflict” and calling on followers to reject military solutions.
The talks in Islamabad will test whether intense diplomatic engagement can hold amid public threats, regional violence and internal political pressures on all sides. Pakistani officials and international observers say the outcome could determine whether the fragile ceasefire leads to a lasting reduction in hostilities or a resumption of wider conflict.