Şahin Demir
11 April 2026•Update: 11 April 2026
The Iran-US talks to end the war began in Islamabad with Pakistani mediation, the Iranian IRIB TV reported on Saturday.
The talks are being held at a hotel in the Pakistani capital.
Iran has set two key conditions for entering the discussions, according to the report.
The first concerns the release of Iran’s frozen assets held in some countries, which the US side has agreed to, the IRIB reported.
The second relates to the situation in Lebanon, where Iran does not accept claims that a full ceasefire has been established.
While attacks on Beirut have largely stopped and a ceasefire is broadly in place there, limited Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon are continuing, and the issue remains under discussion.
Expert-level phase
Separately, Tasnim News Agency reported that the talks have moved into an expert-level phase, with members of the Iranian and US specialized committees heading to the negotiation venue.
Tasnim also reported that Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), is not part of the US negotiating delegation, contrary to earlier speculation.
The report added that US Vice President James David (J.D.) Vance is attending the talks, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Bagher Qalibaf and his team, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and deputy to the National Security Council, Ali Bagheri Kani, arrived in Islamabad earlier on Saturday.
Pakistan is hosting the landmark negotiations, dubbed the “Islamabad Talks,” seen as the most significant since 1979, aimed at ending the broader regional conflict amid a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered earlier this week.
