Efe Özkan
10 April 2026•Update: 10 April 2026
Iranian and US delegations will come together on Saturday in Islamabad to hold rare talks aimed at achieving a permanent ceasefire.
The talks come after Pakistan secured a 14-day ceasefire early Wednesday, halting weeks of fighting initiated by the US and Israel on Feb. 28 when they launched joint attacks on Iran, killing more than 3,000 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Pakistani government sources have told Anadolu that the meetings will include direct talks and may go beyond one day, as there’s no set timeframe.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Mohammad Asim Malik will represent their country during the talks.
US delegation
The White House has confirmed the US delegation will be led by Vice President JD Vance and includes Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper.
Vance served from 2003 to 2007 as a combat correspondent in the US Marines, deploying to Iraq in 2005. He entered politics after winning the Republican primary and elections for the Ohio Senate in 2022.
Real estate mogul Steve Witkoff has served as the US special envoy to the Middle East and special envoy for peace missions since 2025, a prominent negotiator in the Russia–Ukraine war.
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner became a senior adviser to Trump during his first presidency and is seen as a primary facilitator of the Abraham Accords and other normalization agreements between Israel and various Arab states in 2020.
Having been deployed during combat operations in the Gulf War, the lead-up to the Iraq War, the Yugoslav Wars, and the war in Afghanistan, Admiral Brad Cooper has served as the commander of US CENTCOM since 2025, the first Navy admiral to hold the post since 2008.
Iranian delegation
While there has been no confirmation from Tehran, media reports have said the Iranian delegation will comprise Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr.
Speaker of Iran's Parliament since 2020, Qalibaf is a "principlist" politician with extensive military and security roots. A former IRGC aerospace commander and chief of police, he also served as mayor of Tehran for over a decade. Due to his deep ties to the Revolutionary Guard, he is widely regarded as a hardline hawk on the international stage.
As a veteran diplomat and chief negotiator of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between the US and Iran, Araghchi is a key advocate for nuclear diplomacy and sanctions relief. Known for his calm, professional demeanor, he has consistently championed a pragmatic, diplomatic approach to Iranian interests, distinguishing himself from the government's harder-line factions.
As Iran’s UN ambassador between 2019 and 2022, Ravanchi was a key negotiator during the original JCPOA talks. A veteran diplomat, he continued his involvement in the 2025 Iran–US negotiations at the expert level.
In March 2026, former IRGC deputy commander Zolghadr succeeded Ali Larijani as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. A known hardliner, he also leads the Expediency Discernment Council.
