By Lyndal Rowlands, Adam Hancock, and Heba Habib
Published On 11 Apr 2026
- High-profile Iranian officials arrive in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad for ceasefire talks with the US, including Tehran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
- Lead US negotiator Vice President JD Vance says before departure for Pakistan talks: “If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly willing to extend an open hand.”
- Lebanon’s Health Ministry increased the number of people killed from Israeli attacks across the country on Wednesday to 357, warning that the death toll is not yet final as more victims are being found and identified.
- The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in the United States held a phone call in first reported direct contact between the two countries, before ceasefire talks are expected to be held in the US next week.
7m ago
(05:40 GMT)Pakistan ambassador speaks to Al Jazeera on eve of US-Iran talks
Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, spoke to Al Jazeera in advance of the historic talks between Tehran and the Trump administration set for later today in Islamabad.The ambassador said he believes both sides are committed to the negotiation process and there were many “ups and downs” on the road leading to the ceasefire talks.
14m ago
(05:32 GMT)
US envoys Witkoff, Kushner arrive in Islamabad for talks
Sources in Pakistan have told the Reuters news agency that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have landed in Islamabad for talks with Iran.17m ago
(05:30 GMT)
Islamabad on lockdown as Iran and US meet for ‘make or break’ talks
By Kamal Hyder
Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has described the talks between the US and Iran as “make or break”.
When the Iranian team’s aircraft entered Pakistani airspace, it was provided with a full circle of protection that included AWACS early warning aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, as well as fighter jets, which escorted the Iranian team to Islamabad.
They were received by the chief of the defence forces, the foreign minister and the interior minister. The delegation is being led by the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
What is usually one of the busiest roads in the country, running through the Blue Area, the commercial hub of Islamabad, is at a standstill.
The government has declared a two-day holiday, and 10,000 security personnel have been deployed.
As the Iranian convoy drove from the airport, they were given protection by the Special Services Group, Pakistan’s elite commando unit.
A man jogs along an empty road early in the morning near the Faisal Masjid, Pakistan’s national mosque, as delegations from the US and Iran are expected to hold high-stakes talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday [Waseem Khan/Reuters]20m ago
(05:26 GMT)
US plane carrying delegation for Iran talks lands in Pakistan
The Reuters news agency reports that a US aircraft carrying a team of negotiators has landed in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.We will bring you more details soon.
27m ago
(05:20 GMT)
US-Iran ceasefire talks could extend into Sunday
By Abid Hussain
Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan
It’s just after 10am local time [05:00 GMT] in a cloudy Islamabad, the Pakistani capital hosting the highly anticipated talks between the US and Iran.
The Iranian delegation arrived after midnight, led by parliament speaker Mohammad BagherGhalibaf – US Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to land soon.
While there is no official timeline for the duration of the talks, they are expected to last theday.
But considering that Vance has yet to arrive, negotiations may extend into Sunday at least.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that talks could continue for up to 15 days after the ceasefire announcement last week.
37m ago
(05:10 GMT)
What we know about JD Vance, lead US negotiator in the Iran talks
US Vice President Vance, 41, rose to fame with the publication of his memoir Hillbilly Elegy in 2016, during Trump’s first presidency. The book details his childhood and time at Yale Law School.Here’s more about the US official who will lead ceasefire talks with Iran later today in Pakistan:A former critic of Trump, Vance has served as the US vice president in Trump’s second administration since January 2025. He also served as a Republican senator for the state of Ohio from 2023 to 2025.
Iran reportedly favoured Vance to step into the negotiating role, while Pakistan’s former UN envoy, Maleeha Lodhi, told Al Jazeera that the choice of the vice president is “being viewed very positively” in Islamabad.
Since taking on the role of lead negotiator, Vance has said it “would be dumb” for Iran to let negotiations fall apart “over Lebanon”, which Iran has said was meant to be part of the current two-week ceasefire.
Vance also said he believed the exclusion of Lebanon from the ceasefire stemmed from a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Before departing for Islamabad, he said the US will be “certainly willing to extend an open hand” if the Iranians are willing to “negotiate in good faith”.
But he also added: “If they’re going to try to play us, they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media before boarding Air Force Two on Friday for Pakistan [Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via AP Photo]
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