Historic US-Iran Proximity Talks Begin in Islamabad — First Direct Engagement Since 1979; Vance Meets Pakistani PM

The first direct US-Iran diplomatic engagement since the 1979 Islamic Revolution formally began in Islamabad, Pakistan on April 11. The two delegations — the US led by Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner; Iran led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — met separately with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who then shuttled messages between them in what diplomats term 'proximity talks.' The delegations were housed in the same Islamabad hotel but did not meet face to face. Pakistani officials framed the goal as modest: finding enough common ground to keep the two-week ceasefire intact and continue negotiations. Vance and Pakistani PM Sharif held a bilateral meeting before talks formally commenced. Iran state TV declared its red lines ahead of any substantive negotiations: Tehran would not yield control over the Strait of Hormuz, demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon as a precondition, and insisted on the release of frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar and other banks. The Soufan Center analysis said Iran entered Islamabad seeking to 'cement strategic gains' — leveraging the ceasefire as a negotiating position rather than a foundation for concessions.