Both the United States and Iran have issued stark warnings ahead of talks in Islamabad, scheduled to begin Saturday morning, aimed at strengthening the fragile ceasefire between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, and paving the way for a permanent end to the fighting.
The talks are the first of their kind since the war broke out just over a month ago. Security ahead of the meeting is reportedly heavy. The streets are deserted and police and military have set up roadblocks and are rerouting traffic around areas where government and diplomatic buildings are located.
Positive mood?
But for the negotiations to begin at all, Iran has set two demands: The country's frozen assets must be released and the ceasefire must also include the Iran-allied Shia militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who leads Iran’s delegation alongside Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, is expressing great skepticism about the talks. He says Iran’s experience in negotiations with the United States “has always been marked by failures and breaches of commitments,” according to Iran’s state-run Fars news agency, Bloomberg reports.
"We have good will, but we have no trust. If the American side in the upcoming negotiations is prepared for a genuine agreement and to grant the Iranian people their rights, they will see that we are also ready for an agreement," he says.
Vice President JD Vance, who according to media outlets landed in Islamabad around 8 a.m. local time in Sweden, said before the trip that one goal was "positive negotiations."
"If Iran tries to manipulate us, they will find that our negotiating delegation is not receptive."
Multiple bulleted lists
According to media reports, the US and Iran have each presented a peace plan with 15 and 10 points, respectively. The US focus is on Iran's uranium enrichment and reopening the Strait of Hormuz; Iran's focus is on control over the strait and tariffs for ships that want to pass through it.
The US delegation, in addition to Vance, includes envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Iran's delegation consists of a total of 71 people, according to CNN.
It is still unknown what time the talks are scheduled to begin, but according to media reports, Iran's delegation will meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at 10 a.m. local time in Sweden.
