Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has told the US and Iranian negotiating teams that the talks they were going to hold in Islamabad are not going to be easy as he held separate meetings with them on Saturday.Iranian and American delegations met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Saturday to begin negotiations towards a deal to end the Middle East war unleashed six weeks earlier by US-Israeli strikes on Tehran. With the talks under way at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel, Iranian media said the negotiating format going forward had yet to be determined, and it was not clear whether the two sides would meet face-to-face or continue to exchange messages via the Pakistanis. But both sides had arrived at the venue when the Iranian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met PM Shehbaz Sharif, followed by US Vice-President JD Vance, accompanied by White House envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. “Commending the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region,” PM’s office said. Iran has previously said that any agreement on a permanent end to fighting must include the unfreezing of sanctioned Iranian assets as well as an end to Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Vance has said will not be up for discussion in Islamabad. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is also part of the delegation, told his German counterpart in a call on Saturday that “Iran enters negotiations with complete distrust due to repeated breaches of commitments and betrayals by the United States”, the Tasnim news agency reported. Firstly, the Iranian government delegation met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the terms of planned “make-or-break” negotiations to end the Middle East war with a US team led by Vice-President JD Vance. With the first talks underway at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel, Iranian media reported that the Iranian side would decide at the end of the meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif whether to go ahead with negotiations with the Americans. Iran has previously said that any agreement on a permanent end to fighting must include the unfreezing of sanctioned Iranian assets and include an end to Israel’s war on Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Vance has said will not be up for discussion in Islamabad. But both parties had arrived at the talks venue when the Iranian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met PM Shehbaz Sharif, having arrived overnight at an airbase near the federal capital and disembarked to embrace Pakistan’s powerful Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Field Marshal Asim Munir, who shares a personal rapport with US President Donald Trump, also greeted Vance, escorting him down a red carpet at the Nur Khan Airbase, where US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were waiting. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said talks would not be easy. “An even more difficult stage lies ahead,” he said, referring to efforts to permanently end fighting that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, sparking Iranian retaliation against Israel and across the Gulf. “This is that stage which, in English, is called the equivalent of ‘make or break’.” Earlier, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with the Iranian delegation at the Islamabad Talks today. The Iranian side was led by the Honorable Speaker of the Iranian Consultative Assembly, Mr. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, assisted by Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Abbas Araghchi. Appreciating Iran’s engagement in the Islamabad Talks, the Prime Minister affirmed Pakistan’s sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator to help build momentum towards achieving meaningful results in the interest of regional and global peace and stability. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshall Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi attended the meeting from Pakistani side.Iran’s state broadcaster reported that the Iranian delegation had previously met with Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir after arriving in Islamabad overnight. Noting Pakistan’s previous efforts as an intermediary, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that after the meeting with “Asim Munir messages were again exchanged between Iran and the United States”. Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with His Excellency JD Vance, Vice-President of the United States of America. The US Vice-President was assisted by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Prime Minister was assisted by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Senator Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.Commending the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region. The Prime Minister reiterated that Pakistan looks forward to continue its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region.
PM Shehbaz meets Iran, US delegations as peace talks commence in Islamabad
