U.S., Iran hold direct talks in Pak. as truce holds
The United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan on Saturday
days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced
delegation
The
- U.S. delegation, led by Vice-President J.D. Vance,
- Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf,
- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif separately ahead of the three-party talks with Pakistan.
The recent highest-level meetings
were between Secretary of State John Kerry and counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif during talks over the programme.
iran
reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon
Iran’s state-run news agency said the talks had begun after Iranian preconditions, including a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, were met.
Iran demanded compensation for damage
caused by the U.S.-Israeli strikes and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
The Strait of Hormuz
while Iran insisted / अड़ जाना on preserving its military gains. U.S. President Donald Trump, ahead of the talks, accused Iran of using the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy supplies, for extortion, and told reporters on Friday that it would be opened “with or without them”.
More rounds of talks
“clearing out” the strait
Trump said U.S. had begun “clearing out” the strait, but it was unclear whether he was referring to the reported use of mines there or Iran’s broader ability to control the area.
Direct talk with iran history
Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the most direct contact Washington had with Tehran was in 2013 when then-President Barack Obama called newly elected President Hassan Rouhani to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme.
The war has killed
at least
- 3,000 people in Iran,
- 1,953 in Lebanon,
- 23 in Israel
- more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states,
- caused lasting damage to infrastructure in half a dozen regional countries.
Iran’s chokehold on the vital Strait of Hormuz
has largely cut off the Persian Gulf and its oil and gas exports from the global economy.
other countries in support
Chinese, Egyptian, Saudi and Qatari officials were in Islamabad to indirectly facilitate the talks.
Israel said strikes in Lebanon
after saying there is no ceasefire there. Iran and Pakistan have disagreed.
The story so far:
How did the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran come about?
15-point plan to end the war
On March 24, The New York Times reported that the U.S. had sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war, more than three weeks after the U.S., along with Israel, had started bombing the country.
that the plan was handed over to the Iranian side by Pakistan’s Gen. Munir
It is believed that he had been in contact with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),
the powerful paramilitary force of Iran that emerged more powerful in Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated by a U.S.-Israeli strike.
President Trump said
Washington would halt its attacks on Iran and observe a two-week ceasefire, provided Tehran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr. Trump referred to the proposal as a “double-sided ceasefire”, indicating that it would include concessions by both sides. He claimed that the U.S. has achieved its military goals and that the conflict could be resolved.
Before ceasefire
Mr. Trump warned that a civilisation could be “wiped out”.
Before that, he had posted a profanities-laden message indicating his frustration over Iran’s stranglehold / एकाधिकार, प्रभुत्व, वर्चस्व over the Strait of Hormuz.
He had set a deadline for his final decision: 8 p.m. (EST) on April 7. Before the deadline, he announced the ceasefire.
announcement
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would stop attacks if the U.S. and Israel paused theirs.
Minutes before Mr. Trump’s deadline, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on X that Iran and the U.S.
“along with their allies, have agreed to a ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, effective immediately.”
What are the chances of the negotiations succeeding?
Israel not happy with ceasefire
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political rivals have said the Americans did not consult him while exchanging messages with Iran.
Israel wants “regime change in Iran”. With the U.S. opening negotiations with the same Iranian state, it appears that the war has not achieved Israel’s stated strategic objectives.
Beirut bombing
Soon after the announcement of the ceasefire, Israel bombed nearly a hundred targets in Beirut, claiming they were Hezbollah command-and-control centres.
The attacks seemed aimed at provoking Iran and undermining the fragile ceasefire. However, Iran has stuck to the ceasefire, while also declaring that it will not abandon its allies in Lebanon.
OTHER COUNTRY SUPPORT FOR CEASEFIRE
Italy and Spain have condemned Israel’s bombing and have called on the country to support the ceasefire framework being negotiated in Pakistan.
Gulf Cooperation Council states have broadly expressed support for de-escalation efforts, although Iran continues to face a trust deficit with the UAE.
Why was Pakistan chosen by the U.S. for negotiations?
Pakistan has a long history of being an intermediary in U.S. diplomatic initiatives
It enabled the
- U.S.-China outreach in 1971
- 2020 Doha Accord between the U.S. and the Taliban.
During the war
Pakistan repeatedly condemned Israel, but maintained communication channels with
- Iran,
- Gulf monarchies,
- U.S.
Is Pakistan playing an independent role as a mediator?
Multiple regional and global stakeholders
became involved in opening informal communication channels as war against Iran escalated into a wider regional conflict following the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
talking to regional leaders
, multiple South Asian countries, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India, began talking to regional leaders , With concerns rising about the
- safety of South Asian diaspora in the Gulf,
- energy security needs at home.
final draft shared globally through Mr. Sharif ‘s social media accounts
Though the initial exchange of the U.S.’s 15-point and Iran’s 10-point conditions reportedly took place through Pakistan’s military channels, the final draft shared globally through Mr. Sharif ‘s social media accounts referred to a “draft,”
which was widely interpreted on social media as indicating the involvement of external parties, including the U.S., in shaping the formulation.
What has been the role of other powers, such as China and Russia, in this ceasefire?
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly thanked
- China,
- Saudi Arabia,
- Turkiye,
- Egypt,
- Qatar for “their invaluable and full support in the direction of achieving a ceasefire and granting an opportunity to seek a comprehensive and final solution through peaceful diplomatic efforts.
What will be the modality of negotiations?
security risks involved in the process
Unlike previous mediations in the cases of Afghanistan and China, the meeting this time is taking place in Islamabad because of security risks involved in the process.
Israel has harmed negotiators in September 9, 2025, when it attacked the negotiating team of Hamas in Doha, killing five members.
Security risks also stem from Pakistan’s own home-grown terror outfits. A local holiday was declared in Islamabad before the arrival of the delegations.
SOURCE THE HINDU
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