US-Iran peace talks begin in Islamabad as Pakistani official says negotiations 'progressing well'
US-Iran peace talks begin in Islamabad as Pakistani official says negotiations 'progressing well'
Jack BrewsterSat, April 11, 2026 at 5:45 PM UTC
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The United States and Iran sat down face-to-face Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan — the highest-level direct engagement between the two countries since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 — as both sides worked to turn a fragile two-week ceasefire into a lasting end to the war, the reported.
The U.S. sent a high-profile team: Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law. Iran's team was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said Tehran entered the talks with "deep distrust" following prior U.S. strikes on Iran during earlier negotiations.
When asked how the talks would go, Trump was blunt. "I have no idea," he told NewsNation in a phone interview Saturday, adding that he would know shortly whether Iran was acting in good faith.
The talks resumed Saturday evening after a brief break, with both sides backed by technical experts, according to two Pakistani officials speaking on condition of anonymity. "I cannot say whether they are sitting in the same room or in separate rooms, but talks have started and are progressing well," one official told the AP.
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On the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said Saturday that the U.S. has begun "clearing out" the waterway. "We're now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World," he posted on Truth Social. He added that the U.S. knows where mines have been placed in the strait and is bringing in equipment to remove them.
The two sides came to the table with sharply different visions for peace. Iran's 10-point proposal calls for a guaranteed end to the war, removal of U.S. sanctions, compensation for strikes and control over the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. 15-point plan seeks restrictions on Iran's nuclear program and the reopening of the strait to international shipping, according to the AP.
Pope Leo XIV added his voice Saturday, delivering his strongest condemnation of the war yet — blasting the "delusion of omnipotence" fueling the conflict. "Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!" Leo said during an evening prayer service at St. Peter's Basilica.
Officials from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, China and Qatar were also on the ground in Islamabad in a supporting role, according to regional officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
