JD Vance Leads Historic US-Iran Peace Talks in Pakistan Mediated by Shehbaz Sharif

Vice President JD Vance led the United States delegation in historic peace talks with Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan.

“Caitlin Doherty Live editor It's just turned 21:40 in Islamabad, where trilateral talks are being held between the US and Iran with host mediators Pakistan”

BBC

The talks were mediated by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and also included Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

BBC

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf represented Tehran.

The negotiations came after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a provisional two-week ceasefire last Tuesday.

Trump told NewsNation that talks had begun and predicted the Strait of Hormuz would reopen in the not too distant future.

The White House declined to comment on the status of the negotiations as they stretched into the evening.

Key points of contention included Tehran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and Israel's ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf insisted that the release of blocked Iranian assets and a ceasefire in Lebanon must be fulfilled before negotiations begin.

CBS News

Israel and Lebanon were expected to hold their own direct talks next week.

Trump said the U.S. had begun clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to the world.

Only a handful of ships had transited the waterway since the agreement.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency put the total number of people killed at almost 3,400.

Vance's appointment was seen by some as a political gamble given his limited diplomatic experience.

“Pakistan has emerged as a key player in efforts to extend a fragile ceasefire between the U”

CNN

MS NOW observed that his elevation looked more like a poisoned chalice.

The Washington Post noted that Vance had spent most of his tenure as an attack dog and fraud czar.

The Financial Times described the talks as a make or break moment.

The Guardian reported that the talks were the first direct negotiations since the war began.

Vance's performance was viewed as a test of his foreign policy chops.