Vance arrives in Pakistan for Iran ceasefire talks with Witkoff and Kushner

Vice President J.D. Vance will arrive in Pakistan early Saturday to lead high-stakes talks with Iran aimed at preserving the fragile ceasefire and preventing a broader regional war.

Vance is accompanied by U.S. Special Representative Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as part of a high-level delegation meeting with Iranian officials in Islamabad.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will negotiate on behalf of Iran.

The talks, scheduled for Saturday, come a month after the United States launched Operation Epic Rage on February 28, a sweeping military offensive targeting Iran’s military infrastructure following the collapse of nuclear talks.

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This operation has brought the United States and Iran to the brink of ground war, ahead of a weak diplomatic breakthrough in recent days.

Trump announced a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, agreeing to suspend further U.S. strikes on condition that Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route.

While Iran has signaled that it will allow passage through the strait as part of the agreement, traffic has been severely disrupted as shipping companies hesitate to resume normal operations due to ongoing security concerns and uncertainty about sanctions.

Before leaving, Vance struck a cautious tone, warning Iran against testing the U.S. negotiating stance.

“If they try to play us, they’re going to find that the negotiating team isn’t that receptive,” Vance said, adding that he still expected the talks to be “positive.”

With both sides deeply divided after weeks of fighting, the outcome of the talks could determine whether the ceasefire holds or collapses into new hostilities.

Iranian officials adopted a cautious and conditional attitude before the talks.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it accepted the two-week ceasefire but warned that “this does not mean the end of the war,” adding that “we will remain vigilant” if the agreement is violated.

Vance on Wednesday called the agreement a “fragile ceasefire.”

Iran also attributed the success of the ceasefire to developments in Lebanon and insisted that Israeli attacks on Hezbollah must be stopped as part of a broader agreement. Tehran has warned that continued attacks could jeopardize negotiations, highlighting its significant disagreement with Israel and the United States, which argue that Lebanon is not covered by a ceasefire.

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After helping broker the initial ceasefire, Pakistan emerged as a key intermediary, positioning itself as a neutral zone between Washington and Iran. However, this role currently faces scrutiny.

Pakistani defense minister Khawaja Asif sparked outrage after calling Israel’s actions “a curse on humanity” in a recently deleted X post and saying critics should “burn in hell” in a separate post.

Security personnel inspect vehicles entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Islamabad on April 9, 2026. (Aamir QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)

These remarks drew a harsh reaction from Israeli officials, who questioned Pakistan’s credibility as a neutral broker. Israeli leaders called the comments “outrageous” and warned that such rhetoric was incompatible with mediation, while Israel’s ambassador to India bluntly said, “We do not trust Pakistan.”

Pakistani officials did not directly address the controversy surrounding Asif’s comments but defended their broader role, highlighting Islamabad’s efforts to broker a ceasefire and facilitate talks. While Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for “dialogue and diplomacy”, officials stated that both Washington and Iran trust Pakistan’s mediation.

The talks are also continuing in a challenging security environment.

U.S. officials have long considered Pakistan a high-threat environment for official travel; with strict movement controls and layered security measures generally required of American personnel.

Bill Gage, a former Secret Service agent who traveled to Islamabad with President George W. Bush, told Fox News Digital that the threat environment in Pakistan has historically been among the most serious that U.S. protection teams have faced and requires ongoing coordination and heightened precautions.

“The threat environment in Pakistan was one of the worst the Secret Service had ever operated in,” Gage said of his experience in 2006. “We were informed that Al Qaeda wanted to kidnap an agent, so we had to be in pairs at all times.”

Islamabad will host peace talks between Iran and the USA on April 11, 2026. (Farooq NAEEM/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan continues to grapple with persistent terrorist threats.

The State Department currently classifies the country as a Level 3 travel risk, warns of potential attacks, crimes and kidnappings, and notes that extremist groups have staged strikes in major cities, including Islamabad.

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Still, U.S. officials see the Islamabad meeting as a rare opening for diplomacy; Discussions are expected to include nuclear restrictions, sanctions relief and broader regional security issues.

Whether the talks lead to lasting progress or plunge the Middle East back into conflict may depend on whether both Washington and Iran are willing to move beyond decades of mistrust.