Washington and Tehran are scheduled to sit down for their first session in Islamabad on Saturday morning.
All eyes turn to Pakistan this weekend, where landmark talks between the US and Iran carry significant weight for both the people of the Middle East and the broader global economy.
Here's what we know so far:
- The two-week ceasefire that enabled the negotiations to take place is still in effect, but its stability remains uncertain. Israel's intense strikes on Hezbollah and ongoing disputes about whether Lebanon should be part of the agreement continue to threaten the process.
- According to the White House, Washington and Tehran are scheduled to sit down for their first session in Islamabad on Saturday morning, local time.
- Representing the United States will be a high-level delegation, US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
- Before boarding his flight to Pakistan, Vance expressed optimism, telling reporters, "We're looking forward to the negotiation. I think it's going to be positive."
- The Iranian delegation led by its Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, would participate in the talks.
- The Trump administration has developed its own 15-point framework, but the details remain undisclosed. The package reportedly calls for Iran to renounce nuclear weapons, surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, accept limits on its military capabilities, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- A major unresolved issue remains Lebanon's status within the ceasefire, and that dispute continues to cast uncertainty over the upcoming negotiations.
- Iran maintains that the truce covers any attacks on Hezbollah, its Lebanon-based ally, echoing Pakistan's position as the mediator. The US and Israel, however, insist that Lebanon falls outside the scope of the ceasefire.
- As Vance made his way to Pakistan on Friday, Ghalibaf declared that talks with the United States cannot start without a Lebanon ceasefire and the release of Iran's blocked funds abroad.
- On Thursday, Vance again warned that the truce will collapse if Iran fails to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Trump separately warned the Islamic Republic not to impose tolls on tankers navigating the critical waterway.
