High-stakes talks set for Islamabad over US-Iran war: What to know

High-stakes talks are set for Islamabad this weekend where U.S. and Iranian officials plan to meet to negotiate the terms of a tenuous ceasefire to end the war in Iran.

The White House called the talks “ongoing” but any agreement remains extremely fragile as fighting continues across the Middle East.

“As the White House has said, these are ongoing discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the press. President Trump believes that the current plan is a workable document that can lead to lasting peace in the Middle East,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

As of Thursday evening, Trump is signaling on Truth Social that he is not happy with Iran’s closing of the Strait of Hormuz over continued fighting by Israel in Lebanon, exposing the shakiness around the future of the war.

Here is what to know heading into the talks.

Trump is sending his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Vice President Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff to Pakistan where they will meet Saturday morning, local time, according to the White House. Islamabad is nine hours ahead of Eastern time.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government is acting as a mediator, inviting officials from both countries to sit down and reach a longer term agreement. They include Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whose defiance of the U.S. has been steadfast.

Witkoff and Kushner previously held talks around the world with Iranians and mediators for weeks prior to the start of the war. Negotiations then were described as being close to a deal but eventually did not appear to satisfy Trump who launched attacks alongside Israel more than a month ago. 

This meeting will mark the first time the vice president joins Witkoff and Kushner. Vance is seen as one of the more anti-war advocates in the administration.

The ceasefire agreement is partially on the rocks already over different interpretations of whether it included Israel halting its attacks on Lebanon.

Reports circulated Wednesday that the strait had been closed after the Israeli military launched a barrage of attacks, its largest so far during this operation, in Lebanon. It said it was targeting the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah but also acknowledged it was hitting the heart of civilization populations.

Disagreements arose over whether Lebanon was included in the ceasefire agreement. Pakistan had originally said Lebanon was included, but both the U.S. and Israel disagreed.

Trump called Lebanon a “separate skirmish” Wednesday but then said Thursday that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back the strikes on Lebanon after it appeared to be interfering in ceasefire negotiations.

“I spoke with Bibi, and he’s going to low-key it,” Trump said to NBC News, referring to Netanyahu by a nickname. “I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key.”

Netanyahu said Thursday that he instructed his Cabinet to begin “direct negotiations” with Lebanon.

Vance told reporters in Hungary on Wednesday that the issue of Lebanon amounted to a “misunderstanding” from Iran. 

“I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think that the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t. We never made that promise,” Vance said. 

“That said, the Israelis as I understand it … have actually offered to frankly check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful,” he continued. 

Iran’s plan main sticking points

The U.S. has not fully agreed to the terms in Iran’s 10-point plan that is floating in public. 

That plan includes lifting sanctions, Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. military withdrawal from the Middle East, and an end to any attack on Iran and its allies, including Lebanon, a release of frozen Iranian assets and a United Nations resolution that the agreement is binding.

Trump said the plan by the Iranians is a “workable basis on which to negotiate” Tuesday. The White House also has suggested some other points not made public is actually what Trump is referring to. Trump has been adamant that Iran fully open the strait to break a chokehold of oil ships through.

Some versions of the plan also include the U.S. having to compensate Iran for damage during the war and accept Iran’s right to enrich uranium, which will likely be nonstarters for Trump administration officials.

The president wrote on Truth Social Wednesday that “there will be no enrichment of Uranium” and that the U.S. will work to “dig up and remove” B-2 bombers, but Iran has made no such suggestion. He also said tariff and sanction relief for Iran will be discussed.

Trump has also pushed against released versions of the Iranian 10-point plan.

“Numerous Agreements, Lists, and Letters are being sent out by people that have absolutely nothing to do with the U.S.A. / Iran Negotiation, in many cases, they are total Fraudsters, Charlatans, and WORSE,” he wrote Wednesday on Truth Social.

“They will be rapidly exposed after our Federal Investigation is completed. There is only one group of meaningful ‘POINTS’ that are acceptable to the United States, and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during these Negotiations,” he added.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters Wednesday that Trump’s “red lines, namely the end of Iranian enrichment in Iran, have not changed.”

Still, Trump told NBC News on Thursday that he was “very optimistic” that a peace deal with Iran is within reach.

Tensions over Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that sees the passage of roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil, is likely to be a main point of discussion, including Iran reportedly charging ships a toll fee.

Trump has said the strait needs to remain open for the ceasefire to continue, but he also said early Wednesday that he is considering forming a “joint venture” with Iran to set up tolls in the strait.

“We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture,” the president told ABC’s Jonathan Karl. “It’s a way of securing it — also securing it from lots of other people. It’s a beautiful thing.”

But just a few hours later, Iran announced it was once again going to close to strait over strikes being conducted by Israel in Lebanon.

By Thursday evening, Trump was railing on Truth Social about the toll fees, saying the U.S. should be making money off of them.

“There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” he wrote.

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