In pictures: JD Vance arrives in Islamabad for peace talks
Vice president JD Vance arrives in Islamabad for peace talks (via REUTERS)
Vice president JD Vance was met on the runway by Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar and the country’s field marshal Asim Munir (via REUTERS)
The high stakes talks are being held in Pakistan (via REUTERS)
Nicole Wootton-Cane11 April 2026 08:34
Israel and Lebanon envoys to meet as strikes kill 13 in Nabatieh
Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s envoy Nada Hamadeh Moawad will meet in Washington on Tuesday, Israeli and Lebanese officials said.
Lebanon’s presidency said the two had agreed in a phone call on Friday to discuss announcing a ceasefire and setting a start date for negotiations under US mediation. Israel’s embassy in Washington, however, said the meeting would mark the start of “formal peace negotiations” and that it would not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
Israeli strikes continued across Lebanon on Friday. A strike on a government building in Nabatieh killed 13 members of Lebanon’s state security forces, President Joseph Aoun said. Hezbollah said it fired rockets into northern Israel in response.
First responders rush to the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Lebanese State Security Center, in the Southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on Friday (AFP via Getty Images)
Lebanese authorities said Israel’s largest attack of the war, launched hours after the ceasefire was announced, killed more than 350 people.
Shahana Yasmin11 April 2026 08:30
US and Iran send large teams to Islamabad for high-stakes talks
Iran and the US have deployed sizeable delegations to Islamabad ahead of the start of today’s talks, underlining the scale and complexity of the negotiations.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said its delegation includes around 70 officials, including technical experts in economic, security and political fields, along with media and support staff.
A Pakistani government source said about 100 members of an advance US team were already in the city.
“We’re very positive,” a source close to the discussions said, but cautioned it was “too early to say” whether a deal could be reached on Saturday, adding negotiators had instructions to “close a deal or walk away”.
The talks come amid a fragile ceasefire that has halted airstrikes but not eased tensions over the Strait of Hormuz or fighting in Lebanon.
Shahana Yasmin11 April 2026 08:15
How China became the big winner from Trump’s war in Iran
As the US has floundered on the world stage, China, in contrast, has begun to look solid and dependable. Though that doesn’t necessarily mean the superpower war is over, writes Chris Blackhurst
Shahana Yasmin11 April 2026 08:00
Vance lands in Islamabad for US-Iran talks
US vice president JD Vance has arrived in Islamabad for peace talks with Iran.
Vance was received by Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and foreign minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, as well as Natalie Baker, the chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Islamabad.
The US delegation includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, president Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who arrived alongside Vance on Saturday.
US vice president JD Vance talks with Pakistan’s chief of defence forces and chief of army staff field marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi, and Pakistani deputy prime minister and foreign minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad on Saturday (via REUTERS)
Iran’s delegation led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in Islamabad late Friday ahead of the talks.
Shahana Yasmin11 April 2026 07:50
UK to host talks on reopening Strait of Hormuz
The UK will convene a meeting next week of countries seeking to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, as disruption to the key oil route continues.
A British official familiar with the plans said on Friday that the meeting would bring together foreign ministry officials from countries including France, Germany, Japan, Canada, and Gulf states like the UAE and Bahrain, which took part in earlier UK-led discussions on reopening the strait.
The discussions are expected to include diplomatic measures such as sanctions, as well as military planning to ensure ships’ safety once the conflict ends.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it was essential to have a “viable plan” to reopen the strait and stabilise the global economy.
Shahana Yasmin11 April 2026 07:45
Shahana Yasmin11 April 2026 07:30
Hormuz traffic still minimal despite ceasefire
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains sharply reduced despite the ceasefire, with traffic far below pre-war levels.
The Athens-based tracking platform MarineTraffic said on X that just 14 vessels have crossed the waterway since 8 April, compared with more than 100 per day before the conflict.
“Sanctioned or shadow-fleet-linked vessels accounted for nearly two-thirds of all crossings,” they said.
The strait typically carries about 20 per cent of global oil supply, making its disruption a central issue in ongoing negotiations.
Shahana Yasmin11 April 2026 07:15
Islamabad under lockdown ahead of US-Iran talks
Pakistan’s capital has been placed under tight security ahead of talks between US and Iranian officials, with authorities sealing key roads, restricting access to the city’s diplomatic enclave, and deploying thousands of police and paramilitary personnel.
Islamabad appeared “deserted” on Saturday as large parts of the city, including routes linking the airport to central Islamabad, have been barricaded and residents have been urged to stay indoors. Entry to the Red Zone, where government buildings and the talks venue are located, has been limited to authorised personnel.
Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has described the negotiations as a “make-or-break moment” in efforts to turn a temporary ceasefire into a lasting settlement.
Shahana Yasmin11 April 2026 07:00
US envoys Witkoff and Kushner land in Islamabad for Iran talks
Senior US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Islamabad ahead of talks with Iran, according to Reuters, who cited Pakistani sources familiar with the matter.
The two are part of a broader US delegation led by vice president JD Vance, which is expected to hold high-level negotiations with Iranian officials aimed at extending a fragile ceasefire after six weeks of conflict.
The talks come amid deep disagreements over sanctions, the Strait of Hormuz and regional conflicts, raising doubts about whether a broader deal can be reached.
Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, and Kushner have previously led backchannel diplomacy with Iran, and are expected to play a central role in the negotiations.
US vice president JD Vance boards Air Force Two for expected departure to Pakistan for talks on Iran at Joint Base Andrews on Friday (via REUTERS)
Shahana Yasmin11 April 2026 06:45