VP Vance Leads Historic US-Iran Face-to-Face Talks in Islamabad

Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad on April 11, 2026, leading the highest-level direct US-Iran engagement since the 2015 Obama-era nuclear talks. The American delegation — including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — met with an Iranian team led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. Talks began Saturday afternoon and extended past midnight, representing the first face-to-face meeting between the US and Iran since the JCPOA was scrapped by Trump in 2018. Key US demands centered on an Iranian commitment to forgo nuclear weapons and enrichment capability; Iran sought Hormuz toll rights, frozen asset release, war reparations, and a regional ceasefire including Lebanon. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar hosted both delegations.