March 28, Kathmandu – Peace talks between the United States and Iran have commenced in Islamabad, Pakistan, facilitated by Pakistani mediation. Citing Iranian state media, the American network CNN reported that negotiators from all three countries became actively engaged in discussions starting Saturday afternoon. The talks are taking place at the Pearl Continental Hotel Serena in Islamabad. Another international outlet, Al Jazeera, noted that this marks the first high-level dialogue between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution.
On the American side, Vice President Mike Pence is coordinating the negotiations. Accompanying him are President Donald Trump’s special envoy Stephen Biegun and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, among others in the delegation. Leading the Iranian team is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Parliament, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also part of the delegation. Prior to the talks, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held separate meetings with both the US and Iranian delegations.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the commencement of these much-anticipated peace talks. According to BBC, which cited Pakistani sources, the negotiations began around 4 p.m., though the process remains somewhat opaque. Pakistani officials told BBC Urdu that efforts are focused on facilitating direct talks between the US and Iranian representatives. Up to this point, communication between the two sides had been conducted via Pakistani mediators, with direct discussions agreed upon only after positive signals emerged.
