High-ranking Iranian and American officials held marathon negotiations on Saturday, seeking to reach an agreement on a lasting truce to the conflict that has shaken the global economy. These discussions, unprecedented between the two enemy countries since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, are taking place in Islamabad, Pakistan, in a trilateral format with the presence of Pakistani officials who facilitated a two-week ceasefire that went into effect on Wednesday.
According to both the White House and Iranian media, the negotiations on Saturday lasted nearly 15 hours, extending well past midnight. The discussions are being held in a large hotel in the Pakistani capital away from the cohort of foreign journalists covering the event.
Both sides were scheduled to take a several-hour break before dawn. President Donald Trump assured on Saturday that “We are in advanced negotiations with Iran. We are winning regardless; we have defeated them militarily,” adding that he did not care whether an agreement was reached or not.
The American delegation is led by Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Iran is represented by influential Parliament President Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, leading a delegation of 70 people.
A Pakistani official stated that “the talks are progressing in the right direction.” No images of the discussions have been released yet. The focus of the talks is the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for oil supply that has been effectively blocked since the beginning of the conflict, causing repercussions on the global economy, including shortages and price increases.
Iranian media reported that the American side made “excessive” demands regarding the strait during the talks. The US military announced on Saturday that two destroyers had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in a pre-mining operation. President Trump emphasized that “We are sweeping the strait.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, warned on Sunday that they would act with “severity” against military ships passing through the strait.
