Vance lands in Pakistan for high-stakes Iran talks as ‘fragile’ ceasefire teeters
Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan early Saturday, where he will lead high-stakes negotiations with Iran aimed at preserving a fragile ceasefire and preventing a broader regional war.
Vance was welcomed by a Pakistani honor guard on the tarmac in Islamabad.
The group welcoming the vice president included Field Marshal of Pakistan Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
Federal Minister of Interior, Narcotics Control of Pakistan Mohsin Naqvi and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to Pakistan Natalie A. Baker also greeted Vance.
Vance is joined by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, as part of a senior delegation engaging Iranian officials in Islamabad.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will be negotiating for Iran.
The talks, scheduled for Saturday, come over a month after the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28 — a sweeping military campaign targeting Iran’s military infrastructure following the collapse of nuclear negotiations.
That operation pushed the U.S. and Iran to the brink of a ground war before a tenuous diplomatic breakthrough in recent days.
Trump announced a two-week ceasefire Tuesday, agreeing to suspend further U.S. strikes on the condition that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route.
While Iran signaled it would allow passage through the strait as part of the agreement, traffic remains severely disrupted, with shipping companies hesitant to resume normal operations amid ongoing security concerns and uncertainty over enforcement.
Vance struck a cautious tone before departing, warning Iran not to test the U.S. negotiating posture.
“If they’re gonna try and play us, then they’re gonna find that the negotiating team is not that receptive,” Vance said, adding he still expects the talks to be “positive.”
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