Iran-US peace talks in Islamabad delayed as delegations arrive. Photos: X.
The Iran-US peace talks scheduled to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan, have hit a roadblock, with reports saying that the negotiations have been delayed. Iran has, for the last few days, threatened to pull out of the talks if all the conditions in the earlier 10-point ceasefire plan are not accepted. However, reports say that the talks are expected to start in the afternoon after the US and Iran delegations separately meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
As the world watches with bated breath the slippery ceasefire talks, a US aircraft carrying a team for negotiations with Iran has landed in Pakistan’s Islamabad, Al Jazeera reported, citing its sources.
The Iranian delegation arrived after midnight, led by Parliament Speaker MB Ghalibaf. The US team comprises lead negotiator Vice President JD Vance with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as per Al Jazeera.
After the ceasefire announcement last week, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said on April 8 that talks could continue for up to 15 days.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the talks between the US and Iran as “make or break,” Al Jazeera reported.
When the Iranian team’s aircraft entered Pakistani airspace, it was provided with a full circle of protection that included AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) early warning aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, as well as fighter jets, which escorted the Iranian team to Islamabad.
“Iran’s negotiating team led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf arrives in Islamabad. Accompanying Qalibaf are Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Defense Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Central Bank Chief Abdolnaser Hemmati, and several lawmakers,” Iran’s Embassy in India said in a post on X.
They were received by the Chief of the Defence Forces, Asim Munir, the Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and the Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Al Jazeera reported.
The roads leading up to Islamabad’s red zone, home to Parliament, key Government installations, luxury hotels, embassies and the offices of foreign organisations, remained barricaded, as the Pakistani capital is ready to host the US and Iran for peace talks.
The bone of contention between the two parties is a 10-point plan by Iran, which serves as the basis of peace talks. The US wants to make a deal and keep the Strait of Hormuz open and stop Iran from continuing to enrich uranium.
Trump has called the plan “workable”, after Iran called a 15-point peace proposal sent by the US as “maximalist”.
“Iran’s 10-point conditions that the US has accepted as ‘workable’: The US is fundamentally committed to: Non-aggression; Continuation of Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz; Acceptance of enrichment; Lifting all primary sanctions; Lifting all secondary sanctions; Termination of all UN Security Council resolutions; Termination of all IAEA Board of Governors resolutions; Payment of compensation to Iran; Withdrawal of US combat forces from the region; Cessation of war on all fronts, including against the heroic Islamic Resistance of Lebanon,” Iran in India posted on X.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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