US presses Iran as talks gear up in Pakistan under fragile ceasefire

Vice-President J.D. Vance to lead negotiations in Islamabad as Tehran sets preconditions, Trump warns of military action if diplomacy fails3-MIN READ3-MIN4ListenPublished: 4:24am, 11 Apr 2026Updated: 6:20am, 11 Apr 2026US President Donald Trump on Friday pressed Iran to meet US demands, as Vice-President J.D. Vance travelled to Pakistan to lead high-stakes negotiations seen as a key effort to end the more than month-long Middle East conflict.The talks between the US and Iran, taking place during the agreed two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, are expected to begin on Saturday morning in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.Clouding the talks were Iranian demands, namely a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s frozen assets. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Friday that “these two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin” even as Vance had already departed for Islamabad.Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that leaders of both countries had accepted the invitation and would be represented at the negotiating table.The US vice-president is joined in Pakistan by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, according to the White House.Pakistan confirmed the arrival of the Iranian delegation in Islamabad, led by Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was received by Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other officials.Dar “expressed the hope that parties would engage constructively, and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching lasting and durable solution to the conflict”, a statement said.Speaking about the coming talks, Trump told reporters on Friday afternoon before he headed to Charlottesville, Virginia, for a meeting: “No nuclear weapon. That’s 99% of it.”“We’ll find out what’s going on. They’re militarily defeated and now we’re going to open up the [Strait] … You have a good team and they meet tomorrow. We’ll see how it all works out,” Trump added.“The Iranians do not seem to realise they have no cards, other than a short-term extortion of the World by using International Waterways,” the US president said in an earlier social media post on Friday afternoon, in a reference to the Strait of Hormuz.“The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!” Trump wrote.01:31US and Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire amid Pakistani mediation effortsUS and Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire amid Pakistani mediation effortsOn the same day, in a telephone interview with the New York Post, Trump said that the talks were expected to yield preliminary results within 24 hours.Further ReadingHowever, he also said that US warships were already stationed near Iran in preparation for a possible breakdown in negotiations.“We’re loading up the ships with the best weapons ever made, even at a higher level than we used to do a complete decimation,” Trump told the tabloid newspaper.“If we do not have a deal, we will be using them, and we will be using them very effectively,” he added.Trump has repeatedly stated that a 10-point proposal previously released by Tehran as a foundation for negotiations was “fake”, but Washington has not disclosed what it said to be a “workable basis on which to negotiate”.Vance set off for Islamabad on Friday morning, but his office has yet to share a schedule for the talks.“We’re looking forward to the negotiation. I think it’s going to be positive,” he told the media before boarding.“We’ll foresee, as the president of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive,” Vance said.The talks will reportedly take place at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel and authorities in the city have tightened security, turning parts of the capital into controlled security zones.Israel has so far pressed ahead with its strikes on Lebanon, with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian accusing Israel of blatantly violating the initial ceasefire and warning that its actions could jeopardise talks between Tehran and Washington.Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief of staff Asim Munir have called on all parties to maintain peace and uphold the ceasefire.Sharif also said the Pakistani government would do its best to ensure a successful outcome of the talks.The “toughest task is ahead. It will be a make or break situation,” he said in comments to the country on Friday evening.