US President Donald Trump on Friday pressed Iran to meet US demands, as Vice-President J.D. Vance travelled to Pakistan to lead high-stakes negotiations seen as a key effort to end the more than month-long Middle East conflict.
The talks between the US and Iran, taking place during the agreed two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, are expected to begin on Saturday morning in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
Clouding the talks were Iranian demands, namely a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s frozen assets. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Friday that “these two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin” even as Vance had already departed for Islamabad.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that leaders of both countries had accepted the invitation and would be represented at the negotiating table.
The US vice-president is joined in Pakistan by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, according to the White House.
Pakistan confirmed the arrival of the Iranian delegation in Islamabad, led by Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was received by Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other officials.
