‘No offensive role’ for Australia as clock ticks towards first US-Iran talks since war

US Vice-President J.D. Vance will travel to Islamabad for the first round of talks on Saturday morning local time with Iran to end the war in the Middle East, according to the White House.The US Secret Service has already arrived in the Pakistani capital to make security arrangements ahead of his visit, which marks the most significant face-to-face, high-level US–Iran contact since 1979.The American delegation is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday local time, with negotiations likely to last for one day over the weekend. Vance – who concluded a visit to Budapest on Thursday – will be joined by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.Witkoff and Kushner led the previous round of talks with Iranian officials in late February. That ended without progress after the US claimed that Iran was unwilling to agree to terms on its nuclear programme.Saturday’s talks are reported to be taking take place at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel, which has been fully requisitioned from Wednesday evening through to Sunday, with guests asked to check out.05:36Will the war in Iran leave Asian airlines grounded?Will the war in Iran leave Asian airlines grounded?Local authorities have tightened security ahead of the high-stakes talks that could shape how the fragile US-Iran truce plays out, turning parts of the city into controlled security zones and announcing a two-day public holiday starting on Thursday.