Pakistan to host US‑Iran peace talks on Friday

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that Islamabad would host delegations from the United States and Iran later this week following their ceasefire announcement.

“I… extend deepest gratitude to the leadership of both the countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes,” he wrote in a post on X.

Pakistan, which has close ties with US President Donald Trump and is attentive to developments in neighbouring Iran, has become a channel for communication between Tehran and Washington in recent weeks.

“We earnestly hope, that the ‘Islamabad Talks’ succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in coming days,” the prime minister added.

Both Tehran and Washington agreed to a two-week ceasefire just an hour before Trump’s deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire.

Separately, PM Shehbaz said that Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed Tehran’s participation in the “Islamabad talks” to finalise a settlement. The confirmation came during a 45-minute phone call between the two leaders, he noted in a post on X.

The conflict began after Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, assassinating its supreme leader on February 28, which led to retaliatory attacks from Tehran on Gulf nations and Israel. Lebanon was also drawn in after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, prompting further Israeli strikes and a ground operation in southern Lebanon.

PM Shehbaz said the ceasefire applied “everywhere” including Lebanon, though Israel later said it would continue operations against Hezbollah.

The temporary ceasefire came after intense diplomatic efforts by Pakistan and other mediators to prevent Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s power plants and bridges, a move that legal experts called a potential war crime.

Turkiye and Egypt also helped mediate in recent days, while China helped bring Iran to the negotiating table, Trump told AFP on Wednesday. PM Shehbaz said China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt, and Qatar had provided “support towards reaching the ceasefire and giving peaceful diplomatic efforts a chance”. He also thanked Arab Gulf nations for their “commitment to peace and stability in the region”.

Despite past missile exchanges with Iran and a sometimes rocky relationship with the United States, Pakistan currently maintains warm ties with both countries. Pakistan shares a 900-kilometre (560-mile) border with Iran and represents some Iranian diplomatic interests in Washington, where Tehran has no embassy.