Direct US–Iran talks are underway in Islamabad, marking a significant breakthrough in ongoing negotiations, TRT World has reported.
The Iran-US talks to end the war began in Islamabad with Pakistani mediation, the Iranian IRIB TV reported.
Tasnim News Agency reported that the talks have moved into an expert-level phase, with members of the Iranian and US specialised committees heading to the negotiation venue.
The US and Iranian teams were earlier in separate rooms, with the Pakistani mediators passing messages between them as part of the patchwork. However, reportedly, the two teams are now engaged in direct negotiations, with the Pakistani mediators also present.
Iran has set two key conditions for entering the discussions, according to the report.
The first concerns the release of Iran’s frozen assets held in some countries, which the US side has agreed to, the IRIB reported.
The second relates to the situation in Lebanon, where Iran does not accept claims that a full ceasefire has been established.
The opening of the Strait of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in US–Iran talks, with both sides locked in a high-stakes dispute over control and access, TRT World reported.
While attacks on Beirut have largely stopped and a ceasefire is broadly in place there, limited Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon are continuing, and the issue remains under discussion.
Tasnim also reported that Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), is not part of the US negotiating delegation, contrary to earlier speculation.
Pakistan is hosting the landmark negotiations, dubbed the “Islamabad Talks,” seen as the most significant since 1979, aimed at ending the broader regional conflict amid a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered earlier this week.
Earlier, the two delegations were holding separate meetings with Pakistani officials at a five-star hotel in the capital to "make patchwork" before direct talks between the two sides, the sources said.
"We cannot say at the moment when the two delegations will sit face-to-face. At the moment, they are holding talks with Pakistani officials," the sources added.
US President Donald Trump said Iran talks have begun in Islamabad and added Tehran will open the Strait of Hormuz in the “not too distant future", NewsNation has reported.
Trump also said if talks with Iran do not go well, "we’ll reset; we’re ready to go."
The high-stakes talks, dubbed the "Islamabad Talks", began soon after separate meetings between the Iranian and US delegations and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier in the day.
US Vice President JD Vance leads the American delegation, which includes special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf is leading the Iranian delegation, which includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and a deputy to the National Security Council, Ali Bagheri Kani, among others.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is representing Islamabad in the talks, while army chief Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi are assisting him, according to insiders.
