U.S.-Iran peace talks begin in Islamabad as Pakistani official says negotiations 'progressing well'

Jack BrewsterSat, April 11, 2026 at 6:09 PM UTC

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The United States and Iran sat down face-to-face Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan — the highest-level direct engagement between the two countries since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 — as both sides worked to turn a fragile two-week ceasefire into a lasting end to the war.

The U.S. sent a high-profile team: Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law. Iran's team was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said Tehran entered the talks with "deep distrust" following prior U.S. strikes on Iran during earlier negotiations.

When asked how the talks would go, Trump was blunt. "I have no idea," he told NewsNation in a phone interview Saturday, adding that he would know shortly whether Iran was acting in good faith.

The talks resumed Saturday evening after a break. Two Pakistani officials told the , speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, that negotiators on both sides were supported by technical experts. "I cannot say whether they are sitting in the same room or in separate rooms, but talks have started and are progressing well," one official said.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said Saturday that the U.S. has begun "clearing out" the waterway. "We're now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World," he posted on Truth Social. He added that the U.S. knows where mines have been placed in the strait and is bringing in equipment to remove them.

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U.S. Central Command said Saturday that two guided-missile destroyers — the USS Frank E. Peterson and the USS Michael Murphy — transited the Strait of Hormuz and operated in the Arabian Gulf as part of a mission to clear sea mines previously laid by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. "Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce," said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM. Additional U.S. forces, including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days. Iranian state media reported that Tehran viewed the crossing as a ceasefire violation and threatened retaliation. A U.S. official told Axios the U.S. had not received any such warning.

The two sides came to the table in Pakistan with sharply different visions for peace. Iran's 10-point proposal calls for a guaranteed end to the war, removal of U.S. sanctions, compensation for strikes and control over the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. 15-point plan seeks restrictions on Iran's nuclear program and the reopening of the strait to international shipping, according to the AP.

Iran's Tasnim news agency said Tehran also presented four "non-negotiable conditions": full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, complete war reparations, unconditional release of blocked assets and a durable ceasefire across the region.

Pope Leo XIV added his voice Saturday, delivering his strongest condemnation of the war yet — blasting the "delusion of omnipotence" fueling the conflict. "Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!" Leo said during an evening prayer service at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

Officials from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, China and Qatar were also in Islamabad to help facilitate the talks, regional officials told the , speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel "will continue to fight Iran's terror regime and its proxies," posting on X during the talks. He also took aim at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accusing him of accommodating Iran.

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Source: “AOL Breaking”