Trilateral ceasefire talks between the United States, Iran and Pakistan have started in Pakistani capital, Islamabad – the highest-level talks between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
US Vice President J D Vance leads the US delegation. He met Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif ahead of ceasefire negotiations. Iranian officials, including parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, also met Sharif.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry says it is in touch with Lebanon to make sure ceasefire commitments are being respected on all fronts, the ministry spokesperson has told Iranian state TV from Islamabad, where talks involving senior US and Iranian officials are taking place.
Lebanese officials close to Hezbollah told the Reuters news agency on Friday that the group was supportive of the Pakistan dialogue, and said it was the right approach instead of a separate set of talks in Washington next week.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier today met the Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
In a statement, Sharif’s office said he “appreciated Iran’s engagement” as he affirmed Pakistan’s “sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator to help build momentum towards achieving meaningful results in the interest of regional and global peace and stability”.
Sharif has held bilateral meetings with Iranian and US delegations today, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, army chief Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also attending.
US President Donald Trump says a large number of empty tankers are heading to the US to load oil and gas, his comments coming as US and Iranian negotiators hold ceasefire talks in Pakistan.
“Massive numbers of completely empty oil tankers, some of the largest anywhere in the World, are heading, right now, to the United States to load up with the best and “sweetest” oil (and gas!) anywhere in the World,” he posted on Truth Social.
“We have more oil than the next two largest oil economies combined – and higher quality. We are waiting for you. Quick turnaround!”
