The capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, is today Good Saturday (11.4.26) the focus of talks between the US and Iran on ending the Persian Gulf war. More specifically, the US delegation is led by US Vice President J.D. Vance, while the Iranian delegation is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bayr Galibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump is signalling that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened whatever the outcome of the talks. “We will open the Gulf – or the strait, as they call it – with them or without them,” the US president said, referring to the Iranians.
Talks in 3 phases
The negotiations, which will begin this afternoon (local time), will be conducted in three phases.
In the first phase, the US and Iranian delegations hold separate bilateral meetings with the Pakistani prime minister, who is acting as the main mediator.
In the next phase, indirect negotiations will begin, with the two sides exchanging their demands and positions through Pakistan’s mediation channel, rather than directly.
The third phase will be pro-active. If constructive progress is made, the talks between the delegations will move to direct, face-to-face negotiations. Until then, the two delegations will be in separate rooms.
Iran: We don’t trust them
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However, the talks will start in a climate of suspicion about the intentions of the two sides concerned.
The head of Iran’s delegation, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said his negotiators have “good intentions” but “do not trust” the US.
Iranian delegates
For his part, US Vice President J.D. Vance had warned before his arrival that the Americans would not be understanding if Iran “tries to trick us.”
The key mediator in the talks, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who will have contacts with both sides before talks begin, kept a tight lid on the possibility of a deal.
For his part, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said he hoped the US and Iran would engage constructively in the peace talks. He also reiterated Islamabad’s desire to continue to facilitate the sides to reach a “viable and lasting solution to the conflict,” according to a statement issued by Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
