US-Iran talks to seek permanent ceasefire kick off in Islamabad

The first round of talks between the US and Iran opened in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday to seek a permanent ceasefire following a two-week temporary truce between the two warring sides, official sources told Anadolu.

The two delegations are holding separate meetings with Pakistani officials at a five-star hotel in the capital to "make patch work" before direct talks between the two sides, the sources said.

"We cannot say at the moment when will the two delegations sit face-to-face. At the moment, they are holding talks with Pakistani officials," the sources added.

The high stakes talks, dubbed the "Islamabad Talks," began soon after separate meetings of the Iranian and the US delegations with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier in the day.

The US and Iranian delegations arrived separately in Islamabad for the talks in a significant high-level and bilateral engagement between the two sides since 1979.

US Vice President JD Vance leads the American delegation, and includes special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Parliament Speaker Bagher Qalibaf is leading the Iranian delegation, which includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and deputy to the National Security Council, Ali Bagheri Kani, among others.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is representing Islamabad in the talks, while army chief Gen. Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi are assisting him, according to insiders.