High-stakes talks between Iran and the United States are set to begin today in Pakistan, according to the White House.
Who will be at the talks? The US delegation will be led by Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son in law. The Iranian delegation is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, as well as some members of parliament, Fars reported.
What will they talk about? Given the two sides can’t seem to agree about what’s in the ceasefire, aligning on the agenda for the talks may be tricky. Trump has cited “a 10-point proposal from Iran,” which he called “a workable basis on which to negotiate.”
But then Iran began sharing a 10-point list that included demands the US could never agree to, such as acknowledging its control over the Strait of Hormuz and reparations for war damages and the lifting of all sanctions. Other versions published on state media also included recognizing the country’s right to nuclear enrichment.
Meanwhile Trump and his team have their own 15-point proposal. That plan has not been revealed in full but is said to include Iran committing to no nuclear weapons, handing over its highly enriched uranium, limits on Tehran’s defense capabilities, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Will the talks achieve anything? Despite disagreements, Trump told NBC he was “very optimistic” about a peace deal out of this weekend’s talks in Islamabad, telling the outlet that Iran’s leaders seemed open to peace in private discussions. Iran’s public messaging is markedly different, with multiple state media outlets claiming the country has won a resounding victory by surviving the US and Israel’s onslaught and bringing Washington to the table.
In an interview with New York Post, Trump warned Iran that if a peace deal isn’t reached, the US will resume its military action with even more intensity, saying, “We have a reset going.”
Read more about what we know here.
CNN’s Kit Maher contributed reporting.