US, Iran, Pakistan continue trilateral talks in Islamabad

Islamuddin Sajid and Sahin Demir

A fresh round of trilateral talks between the US, Iran and Pakistan resumed in Islamabad late Saturday, sources in the Pakistani government told Anadolu.

The current round began after a dinner break, close to midnight, the sources said, adding it is likely to enter a second day.

A senior White House official confirmed the trilateral in-person negotiations were “ongoing.”

Earlier during the first two rounds, the two sides first engaged in indirect talks, which led to face-to-face negotiations.

Before stopping for meals, the two sides exchanged written texts, signaling cautious progress in the high-stakes dialogue, the sources indicated.

The US delegation is led by Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

On the Iranian side, the delegation is headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and senior security official Ali Bagheri Kani also participating.

Senior Pakistani officials are facilitating the talks, positioning Islamabad as a key mediator in the process.

According to Iranian state media IRIB, the expert teams from the US and Iranian sides were engaged in negotiations at the technical level through specialized committees.

It added that the talks had entered a “sensitive phase.”

Sources close to the Iranian delegation cited by the state media pointed to “persistent differences” in positions of the two sides, describing what they called a “maximalist approach” by the US side, both publicly and behind closed doors.

Pakistan is hosting the negotiations, aimed at ending the broader regional conflict amid a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered earlier this week.