Talks between the US and Iran begin in Pakistan

The talks – which the United States did not immediately confirm or comment on – came after US and Iranian officials met separately with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf are in Islamabad to discuss how to promote a ceasefire that has been left fragile by deep disagreements and unabated fighting in Lebanon.

Iran has elaborated on parts of its earlier proposal, with the delegation telling Iranian state television that it had presented some of the plan’s ideas as red lines in meetings with Sharif.

Meanwhile, Israel continued attacks in Lebanon on Saturday morning even as Iran made ceasefire talks conditional on a lull in fighting there. The Lebanese state news agency reported that Israeli attacks killed at least three people on Saturday. No strikes were reported in the afternoon.

The war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 1,953 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in the Arab Gulf states. It has largely cut off the Persian Gulf from the global economy, sending energy prices soaring and causing lasting damage to infrastructure in half a dozen countries in the region.

In Tehran, residents told The Associated Press they were skeptical yet hopeful about the talks after weeks of airstrikes carved a path of destruction through their country. Some said even if one is achieved, the road to recovery will be long.

“Peace alone is not enough for our country because we have been hit very hard, huge costs have been incurred and people have to pay for it,” said 62-year-old Amir Razzai Far in central Tehran.

Officials are taking positions on key issues ahead of the talks

U.S. and Iranian officials asserted power and made new demands and conditions as the talks drew closer.

U.S. President Donald Trump posted repeatedly on social media in the run-up to Saturday, saying Iranian officials “have no cards” to negotiate with.

“The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!” he wrote.

He accused Iran of using the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy supplies, for extortion, telling reporters on Friday that it would be opened “with or without them.”

Islamabad was deserted on Saturday as security forces closed roads and authorities urged residents to stay indoors, leaving the normally bustling Pakistani capital looking like it was under a curfew.

Vance said Friday that the U.S. was optimistic about the talks, but warned: “If they start playing us, they will find that the negotiating team is not as receptive.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran entered the negotiations with “deep mistrust” due to previous attacks on Iran during previous rounds of talks. Araghchi, who is part of the Iranian delegation in Pakistan, said on Saturday that his country is ready to retaliate if it is attacked again.

Iran and the United States outlined competing proposals ahead of the weekend talks, reflecting the wide divide between the two sides on key issues.

Iran published a ten-point proposal. It called for a guaranteed end to the war and no future attacks. It demanded an end to economic sanctions and sought control of the Strait of Hormuz. It also included ending the fight against Iran’s “regional allies,” explicitly calling for a halt to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.

The United States has submitted a 15-point proposal that includes limiting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the strait.

Israel and Lebanon will conduct direct negotiations

Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to begin in Washington on Tuesday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office said on Friday.

Israel wants the Lebanese government to take responsibility for disarming Hezbollah, just as envisaged in the November 2024 ceasefire. But it is unclear whether the Lebanese army can establish an arms monopoly or seize weapons from the militant group, which has survived decades of attempts to curb its power.

Israel’s insistence that the ceasefire in Iran does not mean a pause in the battle with Hezbollah has threatened to derail the deal. The militant group joined the war in the early days of the war in support of its backer, Iran.

On the day the ceasefire was announced, Israel bombarded Beirut with airstrikes, killing more than 300 people in the country’s deadliest day since the war began on February 28, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a bottleneck

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has proven to be its biggest strategic advantage in the war. Commercial ships have avoided the strait, effectively blocking the passage of oil, natural gas and fertilizer.

The spot price of Brent crude, the international standard for oil prices, was above $94 on Saturday, up more than 30 percent since the start of the war.

Before the conflict, about a fifth of the world’s traded oil typically passed through the strait at more than a hundred ships a day. With the ceasefire in effect, only 12 have been recorded crossing the strait.

Iran has launched ships sailing through the strait as part of a peace deal, although the idea has been widely rejected by countries including the United States and Iran’s neighbor Oman.

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