US Vice President JD Vance landed in Pakistan today to hold high-stakes talks with Iran, aiming to reach a permanent peace agreement and end the war in West Asia. The Pakistan-mediated peace talks are taking place, days after Iran and the US announced a two-week ceasefire.
The US Vice President was received at the airport by Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the Nur Khan airbase. Vance, accompanied by several top American officials, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, arrived in Islamabad hours after an Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reached Islamabad.
The Iranian delegation also comprised Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The delegation came amid speculation making rounds on social media, casting doubts on the visit by the Iranians due to the strikes by Israel in Lebanon. Ghalibaf shared a photo from inside the aeroplane while en route to Pakistan. In the photograph, he is seen standing in front of the images of the Minab School students killed in strikes placed on the plane seats.
It will be the first high-level negotiations between Iran and the US after the war began on February 28, following joint strikes on Iranian targets by the US and Israel. These negotiations are being closely watched globally, as their success or failure could have far-reaching implications for West Asia's security, global energy markets, and international diplomacy.
US President Donald Trump has already ‘warned’ that the US will resume its military action against Iran if the talks do not produce a peace deal.
Before departing for Pakistan, Vance said he was looking forward to the negotiations and hoped that they would be "positive". As the US president said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in "good faith", we're certainly willing to extend the "open hand", Vance added.
"If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive," he added.
Welcoming the US Vice President, Dar commended the US's commitment to achieving lasting regional and global peace and stability, according to the Pakistan Foreign Office.
Dar, who is also the foreign minister, expressed the hope that "parties would engage constructively, and reiterated Pakistan's desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching a lasting and durable solution to the conflict."
"My companions on this flight — Minab 168," Ghalibaf posted on social media with the photograph. A thick security blanket covered Islamabad, which was on ‘red alert’ for the talks.
Over 10,000 police and security personnel have been deployed to ensure multi-layered security for the visiting delegates, officials said. The Red Zone, housing key buildings, is being protected by the army and the Rangers, and only authorised officials and residents are allowed to go through it.
Follow us
