US-Iran peace talks led by JD Vance continue into the night in Islamabad - as Strait of Hormuz remains point of tension
The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in a last-minute deal on Tuesday - but Israel's attacks on Lebanon have cast doubt over the agreement.
Talks between US and Iranian negotiators have continued into the night in Pakistan as fears grow the two-week ceasefire deal will collapse.
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Some reports suggest the Strait of Hormuz remains the biggest point of tension at the trilateral talks in Islamabad.
JD Vance touched down in Islamabad on Saturday morning where he is leading the high-stakes talks with Iranian negotiators.
The Vice President was joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner - where they are face-to-face with members of the Iranian regime as a two-week ceasefire agreement hangs in the balance.
Ahead of the meeting, Iran's Speaker outlined that a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of frozen Iranian assets are Tehran's two conditions for the ceasefire.
Earlier, the US and Iranian delegations separately met with Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, whose proposal on Tuesday helped bring about the last-ditch ceasefire struck around 90 minutes before Trump’s deadline on Tuesday night.
The US president had previously threatened to strike Iranian power plants and bridges and warned a whole civilsation would "die" if no agreement was reached by 8pm ET that evening.
Read more: Thousands of miles away, but the Iran war could hit your bills, job and daily life
But fears have grown the ceasefire deal could get torn apart as Israel has continued to unleash strikes on Lebanon, killing and wounding hundreds of people on Wednesday in its biggest wave of attacks yet.
Israel claimed the conflict in Lebanon was not covered by the deal and refused to agree to Pakistan's proposal.
Last night, the US President said the only reason Iranians “are alive today” is to negotiate ahead of the Pakistan talks.
Writing on his Truth Social platform amid a shaky ceasefire, the US president said: “The Iranians don’t seem to realise they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate! President DONALD J. TRUMP”.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif laid out the stakes of the talks in a state address last night.
He said: "The permanent ceasefire is the next difficult phase, which is to resolve the complicated issues through negotiation. This, as called in English, is a make-or-break phase."
Iranian media earlier that the US has agreed to unfreeze Iranian assets which could help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a claim the White House later denied.
It comes as the Strait of Hormuz will reopen “fairly soon”, according to Trump, who has dismissed the need for a back-up plan.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One for a trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, the US president said: “That’ll open up automatically... we don’t use the strait, other countries use the strait. We will have that open fairly soon.
He also brushed aside questions about any alternative plan if diplomacy failed, saying: “We don’t need a back-up plan... we’ve hit them hard, our military is amazing.”
Pressed on what would constitute a good deal with Iran, Trump replied: “No nuclear weapon, that’s 99% of it,” adding that it was still unclear whether negotiations would be concluded quickly or drag on in the weeks ahead.