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The US vice president said he is expecting a positive outcome from the talks
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JD Vance has warned Tehran not to “play us” as US and Iranian delegations arrived in Islamabad for high-stakes talks aimed at extending a fragile ceasefire after weeks of conflict.
The US vice president is leading the American delegation, while Iran’s team is headed by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and includes senior political and security officials.
Speaking ahead of the talks he said he expected a positive outcome but added: “If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
It comes as US officials have reportedly agreed to lift sanctions on frozen Iranian assets ahead of the talks following demands from Tehran. Iranian officials said the move is “directly linked” to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran previously said talks will only begin if previously agreed conditions are met, including a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of its frozen assets.
US president Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen “fairly soon – with or without” Iran’s cooperation, adding: “If it doesn’t, we’ll be able to finish it off one way or the other.”
A US official has denied reports that Washington has agreed to unfreeze Iranian assets.
Earlier, Iranian sources told the Reuters news agency the US had agreed to lift sanctions on its frozen assets in Qatar and other foreign countries in a move they said was “directly linked” to securing safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
But US officials have now said the reports are not accurate.
Lifting the sanctions is one of Tehran’s key demands before negotiations start in Islamabad.
Talks between the US and Iran are set to take place on Saturday, seeking to extend a two-week-long ceasefire in the Middle East into a more permanent deal.
The two countries have each indicated a willingness to talk – but with key expectations and demands.
Uranium, sanctions and the Strait of Hormuz are all expected to be significant sticking points in the negotiations, which are taking place in Islamabad on Saturday.
James C. Reynolds has the full report on what the issues are, and why they matter:
Iran’s new supreme leader has kept a low profile since his appointment shortly after the death of his father.
Sources have now told news agency Reuters that Mojtaba Khamenei is still recovering from severe facial and leg injuries suffered in the airstrike that killed his father at the beginning of the war.
Khamenei’s face was disfigured in the attack on the supreme leader’s compound in central Tehran and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, all three sources said.
But they added the 56-year-old is nonetheless recovering from his wounds and remains mentally sharp, according to the sources, who have been kept anonymous.
He is reported to be taking part in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in decision-making on major issues including the war and negotiations with Washington.
Tehran demanded the US lift sanctions on the country’s assets before officials sit down at the negotiating table today.
Iran has since reported the US has agreed to release its frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks in a move it said is “directly linked to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz”.
Officials also demanded the US agrees to a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israeli attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have killed nearly 2,000 people since the start of the fighting in March.
They said talks would not start until the US agreed.
The White House did not immediately comment on the demands, but President Trump previously posted on social media that the only reason the Iranians were alive was to negotiate a deal.
“The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!” he said.
Vice president JD Vance, speaking as he headed to Pakistan, said he expected a positive outcome but added: “If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
The US has agreed to unfreeze Iranian assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks in a bid to secure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has said.
Tehran previously said it would only take part in peace talks if US-imposed sanctions on its assets were lifted.
A senior Iranian source told the Reuters news agency Tehran sees the agreement as a test of goodwill and sign of seriousness from the US regarding the potential peace deal.
The United States has not made any public comments on the issue of unfreezing assets.
When a ceasefire was announced on Wednesday, US president Donald Trump said he had received a 10-point proposal from Iran.
Mr Trump called the plan “a workable basis on which to negotiate” and said that almost all of the points have been agreed – but did not reveal what they are.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the country’s top security body, then published a list of points it said Washington had agreed to and “in principle, committed to”. These included:
There was uncertainty, however, as President Trump suggested there were “numerous” bogus lists circulating. He said there was “only one group of meaningful “POINTS that are acceptable to the United States”, which the US would be discussing behind closed doors with Iran in Pakistan.
Donald Trump has declared that Iran agreeing not to pursue a nuclear weapon would be the mark of a successful peace talks with Tehran in Pakistan this weekend.
US vice president JD Vance and Iranian negotiators have arrived in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad for the talks, which are scheduled to begin on Saturday and are aimed at bringing an end to the six-week conflict.
“No nuclear weapon number one,” Trump said when asked what a good deal looks like for the White House. “I think it’s already been regime change, but we never had that as a criteria. No nuclear weapon, that’s 99 per cent of it.”
Tehran denies it is pursuing a nuclear weapon.
James C. Reynolds and Alex Croft report:
The US president is cobbling together a ceasefire he doesn’t seem to understand and somehow making the brutal Iranian regime look positively charismatic while they choke the global economy, Jon Sopel writes
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Iran-US war latest: Trump threatens to ‘finish’ war if peace talks fail in Pakistan – The Independent
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