Iranian delegation lands in Islamabad for peace talks
This handout photograph taken and released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 11, 2026 shows Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (2nd R) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim (2nd L) walking with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (centre L) and Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (centre R) upon their arrival at Nur Khan air base in Islamabad.
ISLAMABAD: Iran’s negotiating team arrived in Islamabad on Friday for peace talks with the United States, even as Tehran insisted on measures it said needed to be addressed first, throwing last-minute doubt over the meetings.
US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire in the six-week war on Tuesday, just hours before a deadline after which Trump had threatened to destroy Iran’s civilisation.
The ceasefire has halted US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran. But it has not ended Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused the biggest-ever disruption to global energy supplies, or calmed a parallel war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X that Washington had previously agreed to unblock Iranian assets and to a ceasefire in Lebanon, and added that talks would not start until those pledges are fulfilled.
The Iranian delegation, led by Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, arrived in Islamabad, the nation’s foreign ministry said. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the group consists of around 70 members, including technical specialists in economic, security and political fields as well as media personnel and support staff, reflecting what it described as the high sensitivity of the negotiations.
Speaking from Islamabad, Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran had goodwill towards negotiations but no trust in the United States, adding that Iran was ready to reach a deal if Washington offered what he described as a genuine agreement and granted Iran its rights, Iranian state media reported.
While there was no immediate comment from the White House on the Iranian demands, Trump said in a social media post that the only reason the Iranians were alive was to negotiate a deal.
“The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!” he said. – News Agencies / Wire Services
