Vance Departs for Islamabad, Warns Iran Not to 'Try to Play Us'; Iranian Delegation Arrives in Pakistan

Vice President JD Vance boarded Air Force Two on April 10 to lead the US delegation to Islamabad peace talks, telling reporters before departure: 'If they are willing to negotiate in good faith, the United States is willing to extend the open hand — but if they try to play us, we are not going to be receptive.' The US delegation includes Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner. Hours earlier, Iran's delegation — led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — arrived in Islamabad and separately met with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif. The talks were structured as proximity negotiations, with Pakistani officials shuttling messages between the two delegations staying in separate rooms of the same hotel. Araghchi said Tehran was entering negotiations with 'deep distrust' stemming from prior strikes on Iran during earlier ceasefire attempts. Iran's Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf told Pakistani officials talks could not formally begin without a ceasefire in Lebanon and an agreement on releasing frozen Iranian assets — two preconditions the White House had not publicly accepted. Pakistan's goal was modest: to find enough common ground to keep talks going rather than reach a final deal.