Dawn.com
BAGHER Ghalibaf (centre), the speaker of Iran’s parliament, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrive at Islamabad Airport.—White Star • US-Iran dialogue set to begin after last-minute Lebanon hurdle eased • Backchannel diplomacy led by Pakistan helps secure partial pause in strikes • Iranian delegation arrives in Islamabad; Vance-led US team was due early morning • Tehran conditioned participation on ceasefire in Lebanon • PM Shehbaz calls negotiations decisive moment for peace ISLAMABAD: The much-awaited dialogue between Iran and the United States is set to begin in Islamabad today after a last-minute hurdle over Israeli strikes in Lebanon with Tehran conditioning its participation on a ceasefire there eased, with signs emerging that a truce could take hold ahead of Islamabad talks. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a televised speech, said the leadership of both US and Iran would be in Islamabad on Saturday to pursue dialogue, calling it a critical opportunity to move towards peace. He described the process as entering a “difficult phase” and warned it was a “make-or-break situation”, as efforts shifted from a temporary pause to a more durable settlement. The Iranian team, led by Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Islamabad early Saturday to participate in the talks. The delegation was received by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Mr Dar expressed the hope that parties would engage constructively and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching lasting and durable solution to the conflict. The US delegation, headed by Vice President JD Vance, was scheduled to land later on Saturday morning. Officials from the US National Security Council, State Department and Department of Defence are accompanying Mr Vance, while advance security, technical and communications teams reached Islamabad earlier in the day. The talks, which would be the first direct high-level engagement between Washington and Tehran since 1979, came close to being derailed as Iran insisted it would not join negotiations unless Israeli strikes in Lebanon stopped. Mr Ghalibaf made clear that Tehran’s participation hinged on two conditions — a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad, estimated at about $7 billion. He said these steps “must be fulfilled before negotiations begin”. Through the day, intense backchannel contacts between Islamabad, Tehran and Washington continued. The communications also involved regional and international actors. The efforts appeared to yield partial results, with reports indicating that Israel held back strikes in Beirut and the Dahieh suburb, meeting a key Iranian demand. An Iranian official told Dawn : “We forced a pause in attacks in Beirut and Dahieh by making it a red line in negotiations and also made it clear that if Israel crosses it again, talks would be off.” Israeli attacks, however, continued in other parts of South Lebanon. At least 23 people were lost their lives in southern areas. Lebanon had emerged as the central fault line in the process when within first 24 hours of Iran-US ceasefire , Israel launched over 100 strikes on Lebanon causing hundreds of deaths. Iran maintains that any ceasefire must extend across all fronts, including Hezbollah, while US and Israel have treated Lebanon attacks as outside the scope of the truce despite an initial understanding the Lebanon would be part of the ceasefire. The divergence has repeatedly threatened to unravel the diplomatic track. Mr Vance, ahead of departure from Washington, described the expected talks as potentially “positive” and said the US was prepared to negotiate in good faith, while cautioning that Washington would not be “receptive” to what it sees as stalling tactics. President Donald Trump, however, struck a harder note, warning that Iran did not have “many cards” left and that military action could resume if the talks failed. He also criticised Tehran over continued restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains a key point of leverage in the standoff. PM Shehbaz, whose country has played a central role in facilitating the talks, said Pakistan would “try its level best” to ensure their success and thanked both sides for accepting his proposal for a temporary ceasefire and dialogue in Islamabad. He framed the negotiations as an opportunity to resolve “contentious issues through dialogue” but acknowledged the complexity of the task ahead. The agenda reflects that complexity. While the talks are based on Iran’s 10-point proposal , which was accepted by Washington as a general framework, fundamental differences persist between the two sides. The US is expected to push for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme, including limits on enrichment and possible removal of nuclear material, while Iran is demanding full sanctions relief, recognition of its nuclear rights, a framework for navigation through Strait of Hormuz and access to frozen funds. Regional proxy networks, missile ranges and sequencing of concessions remain additional flashpoints. Officials and analysts believe that the breadth of issues makes it unlikely that substantive breakthroughs will emerge within the initial two-day engagement. At best, the opening round may establish a pathway for continued negotiations or yield limited understandings on immediate de-escalation measures. Expectations, therefore, remain cautious. The arrival of delegations in Islamabad would, nevertheless, represent a rare diplomatic opening, but the process is unfolding under considerable strain with ongoing violence in Lebanon, continued disruption in Gulf shipping lanes and deep mistrust between Washington and Tehran. Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2026
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