Pakistan to host US-Iran peace talks after weeks of frantic diplomacy: NPR

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s capital Islamabad is set to host peace talks today with negotiators from Iran and the US, including Vice President JD Vance. It is the culmination of weeks of frantic diplomacy by Pakistan’s leaders, who had already offered the city as a site for talks before taking the lead as key mediator, which both the US and Iran credited with helping broker a two-week ceasefire.

The meeting has put Pakistan at the center of the world’s biggest story, highlighting its usually sleepy capital which has been preparing for days for the arrival of high-profile delegations. Before the talks, many in Islamabad were still trying to come to grips with the fact that their country’s diplomatic efforts were actually working. “I’m a little surprised,” says Khizra Zaheer, 19, standing in the parking lot of a shopping area near the city center. “When did Pakistan become so influential?”

This has been a central question over the past three weeks as Pakistan has moved from being a quiet mediator to an active participant in talks between the US and Iran, pulling the leaders of Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and China to support its peace efforts before moving forward with a ceasefire plan. The real significance of Pakistan’s intervention became clear only when both sides agreed to a ceasefire soon after a down-to-the-wire appeal by the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

President Trump and Iran’s Foreign Ministry named Sharif and Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir in their ceasefire announcements. “This was a very rare consensus, as no other country enjoyed the same level of trust from both sides,” says Rashid Wali Janjua, research director at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, a national security think-tank. “It’s a fair assessment to say that both sides are looking for a way out.”

Vice President J.D. Vance walks to speak to the press before boarding Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, April 10, 2026, for expected departure to Pakistan for talks on Iran.

Jacqueline Martin/AP

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Jacqueline Martin/AP

Now, Pakistan faces an even tougher task during the Islamabad talks: trying to get them to reach an agreement that could turn a fragile ceasefire into a permanent one. If the talks are successful, it could “fundamentally change perceptions about Pakistan” in the world, says Ishtiaq Ahmed, professor emeritus at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad. That global relevance, especially in the eyes of the US, is something that Pakistan has emphasized, even as it grapples with political and economic instability domestically. “There is no connection between Pakistan’s diplomatic achievements and its domestic situation,” says Ahmed.

There are also potential sticking points for the Islamabad talks that could derail Pakistan’s ability to act as a broker of lasting peace, including the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon – which remain under Israeli attack even after Sharif declared them within the ceasefire ambit. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday directly sought help from Pakistan to end these attacks.

Daniel Markey, a senior fellow in the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center, says that Pakistan’s political leadership does not view Israel “as a force it wants to engage with,” partly because its policies are extremely unpopular there. Islamabad does not recognize Israel diplomatically, and any signal In the past, political moderation had to face public anger.

Therefore, talks in Islamabad have focused on negotiations between the United States and Iran. The US delegation led by JD Vance and the Iranian delegation led by Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reached the capital on Saturday. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar are expected to help in the talks.

Police officers take up position in Islamabad, Pakistan, to ensure security ahead of possible talks between Iran and the United States on Friday, April 10, 2026.

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Anjum Naveed/AP

He, along with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and intelligence chief-turned-national security adviser Asim Malik, have been key players in the country’s diplomatic efforts – the official details of which were kept secret until the ceasefire was announced. The exact planning of Saturday’s meeting has also been closely monitored, even until the early hours of the morning.

Instead, Islamabad residents have been left to read about their city’s role. Earlier this week, a five-star hotel in Islamabad was quarantined from guests for “an important event” and the government announced a two-day holiday on Thursday and Friday without giving any reason. A more decisive signal for “Islamabad talks” is a group of billboards quietly appearing around the city showing Iranian, American and Pakistani flags side by side.

In many ways Islamabad was built for a moment like this; It is a government town arranged in a neat rectangle with all major roads leading to the Red Zone, a diplomatic area containing government buildings and most of the embassies, which is regularly surrounded by heavily loaded shipping containers during moments of tight security.

On the Friday before the talks, the usual containers were absent, but there were other signs that something was afoot in Islamabad: lines of barbed wire, concrete barriers, and police vehicles blocking roads — forcing diversions, leaving travelers stranded. Cars were moving in the wrong direction on major highways to avoid traffic jams, and police sternly warned their drivers to return to where they came from.

Muhammad Waseem, 43, stood with his son by the side of a blocked road, trying to find a motorcyclist who would pick them up and bring them home. He said the inconvenience was a small price to pay for Pakistan’s role in the peace process.

“There are peace talks going on, so we need to compromise.”