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President Donald Trump posted repeatedly on social media before Saturday saying Iranian officials “don’t have the cards” to negotiate with.
Vice President J.D. Vance walks to speak with the press before boarding Air Force One 2, Friday, April 10, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, for an expected departure to Pakistan for talks on Iran. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin, Pool) AP
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and Iran began negotiations Saturday in Pakistan, days after declaring a fragile two-week ceasefire, as the war that has killed thousands of people and rattled global markets enters its seventh week.
The official Iranian news agency said that the tripartite talks began after Iranian preconditions were met, including reducing Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, and after American and Iranian officials met separately with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. There were no immediate further details and no US comment.
The American delegation was headed by Vice President J.D. Vance The Iranian delegation is headed by the Speaker of Parliament Muhammad Baqir Qalibaf They were discussing how to move forward with a ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and ongoing Israeli attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“I can’t say whether they are sitting in the same room or in separate rooms, but the talks have begun and are progressing well,” said a Pakistani official familiar with the peace efforts, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Iran doubled its commitment to parts of its previous proposal, with its delegation telling Iranian state television that it had presented some ideas for the plan as “red lines” in its meetings with Sharif. These included compensation for damage caused by the US-Israeli strikes that launched the war on February 28 and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
The war resulted in the deaths of at least 3,000 people in Iran, 1,953 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in the Arab Gulf states. Iran’s control of the vital Strait of Hormuz has largely isolated the Persian Gulf and its oil and gas exports from the global economy. Sending energy prices soaring. The attacks caused permanent damage to infrastructure in six countries in the Middle East.
In Tehran, residents told The Associated Press they were skeptical but optimistic about the talks after weeks of air strikes that left some 93 million people devastated across their country. Some said the road to recovery would be long.
62-year-old Amir Rezaeifar said: “Peace alone is not enough for our country, because we were severely affected and there were huge costs.”
Meanwhile, Israel continued its strikes in Lebanon. The official Lebanese News Agency reported that at least three people were killed. No raids were reported in the afternoon.
Officials’ position on key issues before the talks
US and Iranian officials claimed influence and issued new demands and preconditions as the talks approached. President Donald Trump posted repeatedly on social media before Saturday saying Iranian officials “don’t have the cards” to negotiate with.
“The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!” books.
Iran was accused of using… Strait of Hormuza major artery of global energy supplies, has been subjected to blackmail, telling reporters on Friday that it would be opened “with or without them.”
Trump said Saturday on social media that the United States had begun “clearing” the strait, but it was not clear whether he was referring to the alleged use of mines there or Iran’s broader ability to control the region.
Islamabad appeared deserted, security forces closed roads, and authorities urged residents to stay inside.
Vance said on Friday that the United States was optimistic about the talks, but warned: “If they try to manipulate us, they will find that the negotiating team is not receptive.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Tehran entered the negotiations with “deep suspicion” after that Strikes regarding Iran during previous rounds of talks. Araqchi, a member of the Iranian delegation in Pakistan, said on Saturday that his country was ready to respond if it was attacked again.
Iran and the United States presented competing proposals ahead of the talks, reflecting the wide gap on key issues.
Iran’s 10-point proposal calls for a guaranteed end to the war and seeks control of the Strait of Hormuz. It included ending the fight against Iran’s “regional allies” and explicitly calling for an end to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah.
The United States’ 15-point proposal includes restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the Strait.
Israel and Lebanon will conduct direct negotiations
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office announced Friday that negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to begin Tuesday in Washington.
Israel wants the Lebanese government to assume responsibility for disarming Hezbollah, as envisioned in an agreement November 2024 ceasefire. But it is unclear whether the Lebanese army is able to monopolize weapons or confiscate weapons from the armed group, which has survived efforts to limit its power over decades.
Israel’s insistence that the ceasefire in Iran suffices Do not include a pause In its fight with Hezbollah, it threatened to drop the deal. The armed group joined the war to support Iran in the early days of the war.
The day Israel announced the armistice Beirut was bombed with air strikesResulting in the deaths of more than 300 people on the bloodiest day in the country since the start of the war, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a sticking point
Iran shut down Strait of Hormuz It proved its greatest strategic advantage in the war. Commercial ships avoided crossing the strait, effectively blocking the passage of oil, natural gas and fertilizer.
The spot price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, was above $94 on Saturday, up more than 30% since the war began.
Before the conflict, about a fifth of the world’s oil trade passed through the strait on more than 100 ships daily. With the ceasefire in effect, only 12 ships were recorded crossing the strait.
Iran has floated Ship shipping Passing through the strait as part of a peace deal, although the idea has been widely rejected by countries including the United States and Oman, Iran’s neighbour.
Metz reported from Jerusalem, Castillo from Beijing and Magdy from Cairo.