TEHRAN - High-profile Iranian and American officials held their first round of talks in Pakistan on Saturday in the wake of a two-week ceasefire, following a 40-day US–Israeli war against Iran that began on February 28.

From the US side, Vice President J.D. Vance leads the negotiations. The American delegation also include US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. From the Iranian side, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf heads the delegation, which also includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, among other senior officials.

Delegations and technical teams

The discussions began at the political level, but technical experts from the Iranian delegation later joined the talks. The technical teams comprise economic, military, legal, and nuclear experts. Prior to the talks, both the Iranian and US delegations met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif whose country is acting as the mediator. 

Atmosphere in Islamabad

Pakistani journalist Masood Chaudhary, who was present at the venue of the talks in Islamabad, described the atmosphere as “sensitive yet notably dynamic.” He told Tehran Times that “deep-seated mistrust” between Washington and Tehran remains among the key factors posing serious challenges to any immediate breakthrough.

He also described public reactions in Pakistan to the US and Israeli aggression against Iran.

“There is widespread anger over what is perceived as injustices against Iran, coupled with strong expressions of support for Tehran’s assertive response to the Zionist regime. Israeli military actions in Lebanon have also drawn broad condemnation,” Chaudhary said.

He pointed to cautious optimism surrounding the negotiations and noted that, according to Pakistani sources, significant progress has been made despite remaining differences on several key issues.

“At the political and diplomatic level, cautious optimism prevails. According to informed sources, approximately 80 percent of the key issues between Iran and the United States have reportedly seen convergence, although a deadlock remains on several critical points. Pakistani officials and interlocutors suggest that ongoing mediation efforts are likely to help bridge these remaining gaps.”

Iran’s position

In a message on X on Saturday evening, President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed support for the Iranian negotiators in Pakistan, saying the delegation will “negotiate bravely” in defense of the country’s interests. “In any case, our service to the people will not stop for a moment, and whatever the outcome of the negotiations, the government will stand by the people.”

On Friday, Araghchi also told his German counterpart Johann Wadephul during a telephone call that Tehran enters the talks with Washington in “complete distrust.” The top Iranian diplomat cited repeated breaches of promise and “betrayals of diplomacy” by the US and said Iran “will fight with full authority to secure the interests and rights of the Iranian people.”

Washington’s broken commitments 

Prior to the latest war, Iran and the US were engaged in talks over Iran’s nuclear program. Witkoff and Kushner had held indirect meetings with Iranian officials. However, before the new round of scheduled negotiations, the US and Israel launched a war against Iran, and during 40 days of strikes killed over 3,000 people.

The strikes began with the assassination of Iran’s Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and several military officials in Tehran on February 28. On the same day, a US missile strike on a school in the city of Minab killed nearly 170 people, most of them schoolchildren.

Later, in addition to military sites, the US and Israel bombed Iran’s energy infrastructure, hospitals, schools, development projects, and residential areas. President Trump aimed to destroy Iran’s military capabilities and alter Iran’s political system in his favor through leadership decapitation. However, after 40 days of war, these objectives were not achieved.

From the first day of the war, Iran began retaliatory strikes against US bases in the Persian Gulf region and Israeli targets in cities such as Haifa and Tel Aviv. Iran also took control of the Strait of Hormuz and prevented vessels affiliated with the US, Israel, and their partners from passing through the strategic waterway. Iran’s move triggered a global energy shock and was widely seen as exposing what officials and experts have described as a major miscalculation by Washington and Tel Aviv regarding Iran’s military capabilities.

Growing domestic support for Iran’s defensive posture, along with increasing international denunciation of the strikes, also weakened regime-change ambitions pursued by Israel and the United States.

Netanyahu’s role in fueling conflict 

According to US media reports, including a recent New York Times report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been urging Trump to escalate confrontation with Iran during his visit to the White House.

According to the report, during his February 11 visit, Netanyahu told Trump that Iran’s ballistic missile program could be destroyed within weeks. He also claimed that US–Israeli strikes would so weaken Tehran that it would be unable to block traffic through the Strait of Hormuz or target US assets in neighboring countries. Netanyahu further suggested that the Iranian system was “ripe for collapse,” with external support from Kurdish fighters operating from Iraq.
The report added that while CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio later described Netanyahu’s expectations as “farcical” and “bullshit,” the push for escalation continued.

Ceasefire and framework

Nonetheless, forty days after the war, Iran and the US agreed to a ceasefire. US authorities indicated they were ready to negotiate based on a 10-point framework formulated by Iran, which included major conditions such as the permanent end to US–Israeli attacks on Iran and its allies in the region, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the lifting of sanctions on Iran, and compensation for the war of aggression imposed on the country.

However, Israel appears to remain an obstacle. In a message on X on Saturday, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref taunted President Trump for prioritizing Israel’s interests over those of the United States.

“If we negotiate in Islamabad with representatives of ‘America First,’ an agreement beneficial to both sides and the world is probable. However, if we face representatives of ‘Israel First,’ there will be no deal; we will inevitably continue our defense even more vigorously than before, and the world will face greater costs.”

Iran has reiterated that it remains open to diplomacy, but has warned it will deliver a crushing response to the US and Israel should they attempt to resume war against Iran. The Iranian military has stressed that its armed forces remain on full alert, with their hands on the trigger, ready to respond decisively to any new act of aggression.