ISLAMABAD – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in what officials described as a crucial round of regional diplomacy involving sensitive international dialogue.
The meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s House, was attended by top national leadership, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, is expected to head to Islamabad on Friday night to discuss the next steps in stalled peace negotiations with the U.S., a Pakistani official involved in the matter told MS NOW.
Araghchi and a small team are expected to talk with Pakistani mediators about a potential second round of negotiations with the U.S., said the official, who spoke anonymously due to sensitivities around the topic, according to MS NOW.
Tensions between United States and Iran reached a critical flashpoint as US President Donald Trump confirmed a last-minute extension of the fragile ceasefire, pushing it two more days until Wednesday evening, and is now pushing Iran to seal a deal or face serious consequences.
The truce, set to expire on April 21 at 8pm ET, has now been temporarily prolonged in a desperate bid to keep diplomacy alive. Trump struck hard warning tone, making it clear that this extension is likely the final one.
One recent proposal from the Iranian side would involve a 10-year pause on enrichment, followed by another decade where Iran would agree to only enrich to levels well below weapons grade, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Meanwhile, Trump has told reporters that he wants no enrichment indefinitely and is against even the 20-year pause.
The Trump administration is also considering unfreezing $20 billion in Iranian assets as part of ongoing negotiations with Tehran, CNN previously reported. The step would come in exchange for Iran turning over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
How flexible each side is on their terms will ultimately dictate whether a deal can be reached.
Vice President JD Vance, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump‘s son-in-law, will be traveling to Islamabad for talks with Iran, sources familiar told CBS News.
The trio are expected to arrive Monday evening for talks on Tuesday. The two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States is set to expire Tuesday.
Pakistan suddenly emerged as critical diplomatic epicenter in the escalating crisis. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s simultaneous visit to Saudi Arabia and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s arrival in Iran have drawn global attention, with analysts interpreting the timing as part of a coordinated two-pronged diplomatic push aimed at defusing tensions and reviving stalled U.S.–Iran engagement.
ISLAMABAD – Officials from Pakistan and Iran said US and Iranian negotiating teams could return to Islamabad within the next few days, or possibly early next week, to continue efforts aimed at easing tensions and preventing further escalation in the Gulf while the exact timing has not yet been finalized.
Ahead of the high-profile visit, there were rumours about Trump leading delegation coming to Pakistan. Pakistani officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar have denied rumors that Trump would travel to Pakistan in connection with the talks.
On Saturday, Turkish media reported that Saudi Arabia and Qatar will provide Pakistan with $5 billion in financial assistance to help shore up Islamabad‘s dwindling foreign currency reserves, which currently stand at about $16.4 billion.
The development comes as the UAE is requiring Pakistan to repay a $3.5 billion debt by the end of the month.
Pakistan‘s reserves have come under additional pressure recently, thanks to rising costs for imported fuel resulting from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The US-Iran negotiations are set to begin in Islamabad on April 10. Iran’s delegation will be led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, while the US team will include Vice President JD Vance, advisor Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, confirmed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir reviewed peace efforts before US-Iran talks in Islamabad. The meeting matters as Pakistan mediates rising regional tensions through diplomacy. Regional stakeholders, including the United States, Iran, and neighboring countries, are directly affected by these developments.
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan had posted on his X account about the arrival of an Iranian delegation in Islamabad tonight. But the post was later deleted.
After Islamabad, authorities in rawalpindi also announced two-day public holiday on 9 and 10 April as capital city is hosting US-Iran negotiations.
Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi Hassan Waqar confirmed that all offices in the city will remain closed, mirroring the federal capital’s shutdown. In Islamabad, every federal government office will be closed, with officers and secretariat staff required to work from home and restricted from leaving the city.
Iranian authorities revealed sweeping 10-point proposal that it says US agreed to discuss, in what is said to be dramatic turn after weeks of intense conflict between the two sides. Iranian officials said the plan lays out political, military and economic conditions aimed at ending regional tensions and securing long-term guarantees for Iran.
The Iranian Supreme National Security Council stated that Tehran has sent a ten-point proposal to Washington through Pakistan, which will form the basis of the upcoming talks.
US media outlets, including CNN, reported that the Trump administration is preparing to engage with Iranian officials in Islamabad.
Key American representatives in the discussions may include Vice President J.D. Vance, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff. Vance, currently in Hungary, may adjust his schedule to participate in the Islamabad meeting. Pakistani mediators are also expected to play a role in facilitating the talks.
Iran says its military will coordinate passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Pakistan has invited Iran and the US to Islamabad for talks on Friday.
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan is hosting high-stakes diplomatic blitz, racing to defuse tensions between the US and Iran. Leading regional diplomacy, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar confirms that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Egypt will arrive in Islamabad this Sunday for high-stakes talks.
The crucial meeting, originally slated to be held in Turkiye, has been moved to Pakistan after Dar personally stepped in and invited the delegations, citing scheduling constraints. The move signals Islamabad’s growing diplomatic clout and urgency in addressing key regional challenges.
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The country’s president Asif Ali Zardari “strongly condemned the suicide blast” near the city’s High Court on Tuesday afternoon.
Islamabad requires a high level of security to enter and exit the city with specific security zones throughout the capital.