Pakistan PM hopes US-Iran talks in Islamabad yield peace

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday expressed hope that talks between the United States and Iran being held here would lead to durable peace in West Asia.

Sharif conveyed this during a meeting with a visiting US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance, which arrived here earlier in the day to participate in the Islamabad Talks, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The delegation includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. It was received on arrival by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.

During the meeting, the US Vice President was accompanied by Witkoff and Kushner, while the Pakistani side included Dar and Naqvi, according to the statement.

"Commending the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region,” it stated.

Sharif reiterated that Pakistan looked forward to continuing its facilitation efforts to help both sides make progress towards a sustainable solution.

Earlier, welcoming the US delegation, Dar also appreciated Washington's commitment to "achieving lasting regional and global peace and stability”.

“DPM/FM expressed the hope that parties would engage constructively, and reiterated Pakistan's desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching a lasting and durable solution to the conflict,” the Foreign Office said in a separate statement.

The US delegation's arrival followed that of an Iranian team of negotiators led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who are in Islamabad for talks with the US.

The two sides are in Islamabad to attend the Pakistan-mediated peace talks, four days after Iran and the US announced a two-week ceasefire.

However, a massive wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon, killing more than 300 people, has left the truce in tatters.

While Tehran claimed the assault violated the terms of the ceasefire understanding, the US and Israel said Lebanon was not part of the deal.