The Iranian delegation met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Saturday. The public broadcaster IRIB said the meeting was expected to raise alleged breaches of ceasefire commitments by the U.S. side.
According to the IRIB correspondent in the Pakistani capital, the meeting began at 1:30 pm local time (08:30 GMT).
Iran was also expected to discuss its 10-point proposal during the talks, which it says forms the framework and basis for ongoing negotiations to permanently end the war that began on Feb. 28.
The Iranian negotiating team also met Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, ahead of talks with the prime minister. The delegation had earlier met Munir late on Friday, with officials indicating a new exchange of messages was possible.
The team members also interacted with Pakistan’s Parliament Speaker, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on the U.S. social media platform X that the outcome of the talks will depend on the nature of the U.S. delegation.
“If we negotiate in Islamabad with representatives of ‘America First,’ an agreement that benefits both sides and the world is likely,” he said.
“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 pay a higher price.”
Iranian Parliament Speaker Bagher Qalibaf and his team, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and National Security Council deputy Ali Bagheri Kani, arrived in Islamabad earlier on Saturday.
The U.S. delegation is led by Vice President JD Vance and includes special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Pakistan is hosting the landmark negotiations, called the “Islamabad Talks,” regarded as the most significant since 1979, aimed at ending the broader regional conflict amid a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered earlier this week.