Vance arrives in Pakistan for ceasefire talks with Iran with Witkoff and Kushner
Vance will be joined by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, as part of a high-level delegation dealing with Iranian officials in Islamabad.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf will negotiate on behalf of Iran.
The talks, scheduled for Saturday, come more than a month after the United States launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28 – a large-scale military campaign targeting Iran’s military infrastructure in the wake of the collapse of nuclear negotiations.
Vice President J.D. Vance speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport on April 8, 2026, in Budapest, Hungary. (Jonathan Ernest Ball/Getty Images)
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That operation pushed the United States and Iran to the brink of a ground war before achieving a fragile diplomatic breakthrough in recent days.
Trump announced a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, agreeing to suspend further US strikes on the condition that Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz, an important global shipping route.
While Iran has indicated it will allow passage through the strait as part of the agreement, traffic remains severely disrupted, with shipping companies reluctant to resume normal operations amid ongoing security concerns and uncertainty over implementation.
Vance spoke in a cautious tone before leaving, warning Iran against testing the American negotiating position.
“If they try to manipulate us, they will find that the negotiating team is not receptive,” Vance said, adding that he still expects the talks to be “positive.”
The outcome of the talks could determine whether the ceasefire will hold or collapse in renewed hostilities, with the two sides still deeply divided after weeks of conflict.
Iranian officials spoke in a cautious and conditional tone ahead of the talks.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it accepted a two-week ceasefire but warned that “this does not mean the end of the war,” adding that “our hands remain on the trigger” if the agreement is violated.
Vance described the agreement on Wednesday as a “fragile truce.”
Iran also linked the success of the ceasefire to developments in Lebanon, insisting that Israeli strikes on Hezbollah must stop as part of any broader agreement. Tehran warned that continued attacks could jeopardize the talks, highlighting a key dispute with Israel and the United States, which have argued that Lebanon is not included in the truce.
Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator, positioning itself as a neutral venue between Washington and Iran after helping to mediate the initial truce. But this role is already facing scrutiny.
Pakistani Defense MinisterKhawaja Asif recently sparked backlash after calling Israel’s actions a “curse to humanity” in a now-deleted X post, and in a separate exchange, he said critics should “burn in hell.”
Security personnel inspect vehicles entering the Foreign Ministry office in Islamabad, April 9, 2026. (Aamer Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)
These statements sparked a sharp reaction from Israeli officials who questioned Pakistan’s credibility as a neutral mediator. Israeli leaders described the comments as “outrageous” and warned that such rhetoric was incompatible with acting as a mediator, while Israel’s ambassador to India publicly said: “We do not trust Pakistan.”
Pakistani officials did not directly address the controversy surrounding Asif’s comments, but they defended their broader role, stressing Islamabad’s efforts to broker a ceasefire and facilitate talks. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for “dialogue and diplomacy,” while officials say Washington and Iran have expressed confidence in Pakistani mediation.
The talks are also taking place against a difficult security backdrop.
US officials have long treated Pakistan as a high-risk environment for official travel, with strict movement controls and layered security measures typically required for US employees.
Bill Gage, a former Secret Service agent who traveled to Islamabad with the president George W. BushFox News Digital said that the threat environment in Pakistan has historically ranked among the most severe threats faced by American protection teams, requiring continuous 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 told that Al Qaeda wanted to kidnap an agent, so we always had to be two-handed.”
Islamabad is scheduled to host peace talks between Iran and the United States on April 11, 2026. (Farouk Naeem/AFP via Getty Images)
Pakistan continues to face 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 carried out attacks in major cities, including Islamabad.
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However, US officials view the Islamabad meeting as a rare opportunity for diplomacy, with discussions expected to include nuclear restrictions, sanctions relief and broader regional security issues.
Whether the talks lead to a lasting détente or plunge the Middle East back into conflict may depend on whether Washington and Iran are willing to move beyond decades of mistrust.
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