As a fragile “truce” nears its end, Washington and Tehran send experienced insiders to Pakistan.
Published on 20 April 2026
United States negotiators have arrived in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad for a second round of talks with Iran aimed at extending a two-week ceasefire that is due to expire on Wednesday. The diplomatic efforts are coming amid an intense military escalation, hours after the US Navy stopped and seized the 274-meter-long (900 feet) Iranian-flagged container ship Towska in the Gulf of Oman.
The talks have been marked by sharp rhetoric, with US President Donald Trump threatening to destroy Iran and destroy power plants and civilian infrastructure if a deal is not reached. Tehran has described the ship’s seizure as “theft” and expressed uncertainty about its participation in the session during the naval blockade.
The current diplomatic track predates the outbreak of the US–Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. While some at the table led indirect talks before the conflict, another key Iranian negotiator has been permanently silenced.
absent negotiator
A few weeks before the war began, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, engaged in indirect talks with Washington, brokered by Oman. Larijani, born in 1958, was widely seen as the pragmatic face of the Iranian establishment. A mathematician and philosopher who wrote his university thesis on Immanuel Kant, he served as the country’s chief nuclear negotiator and was a bridge between the security apparatus and the political establishment. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike in early March, removing one of Tehran’s most experienced strategic minds from the current diplomatic equation.
American delegation
- JD Vance: The 41-year-old US Vice President has been chosen to lead the US delegation, having earlier led the first round of talks in Islamabad on April 11. Born in August 1984, Vance is a former Marine and Yale Law School graduate who served in Iraq before entering politics. Once a staunch critic of US President Donald Trump, he has evolved into a staunch loyalist, known for his unwavering support of Israel and advocacy of an “America First” foreign policy.
- Jared Kushner: Trump’s 45-year-old son-in-law currently holds no official government title, but he remains a highly influential, unofficial player in US foreign policy. Kushner, who made his fortune in real estate, co-led indirect talks with Iran in Oman in early 2026, just before the conflict erupted. He previously served as a senior advisor at the White House, where he was the primary architect of the Abraham Accords and most recently participated in ceasefire negotiations for Gaza.
- Steve Witkoff: The 69-year-old US special envoy to the Middle East is a New York real estate investor and Trump’s longtime golfing partner. Witkoff partnered with Kushner to lead pre-war backchannel negotiations with Tehran, giving him significant prior experience with the Iranian delegation. Trump has described him as a “steadfast voice for peace.”
Iranian delegation
- Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf: The 64-year-old Iranian parliament speaker led Tehran’s team during the first round of talks and is a conservative political veteran. Born in August 1961, Ghalibaf has a deep military and security background, having served as commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force, chief of national police, and mayor of Tehran.
- Abbas Araghchi: Iran’s 63-year-old foreign minister is a seasoned pragmatist and academician who holds a doctorate from the University of Kent, United Kingdom. Born in December 1962, Araghchi is best known as the chief negotiator who successfully completed the complex technical negotiations leading to the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. He has served under both reformist and conservative administrations, establishing a reputation as one of Tehran’s most accomplished diplomats.
As Wednesday’s deadline approaches, the prospects for a permanent agreement remain deeply uncertain. Millions of people in the Gulf and beyond are watching how the negotiations play out. They also fear that tensions could escalate if Iran and the US do not reach a peace deal and how the prospects of a prolonged conflict will directly affect their daily lives.
