U.S.–Iran talks in Islamabad
U.S. and Iranian negotiators met in Islamabad under Pakistani auspices while Washington described the contacts as “very deep” and warned fresh strikes could follow if talks fail. (theguardian.com) U.S. warships also transited the Strait of Hormuz in a mine-clearance operation at roughly the same time, underscoring how diplomacy is being pursued alongside military measures. (thehindu.com) Separately, U.S. intelligence told reporters it has flagged possible Chinese weapons shipments to Iran—an allegation Beijing rejects—which could broaden the diplomatic stakes if verified. (edition.cnn.com)
U.S. and Iranian negotiators met face to face in Islamabad on April 11, with Pakistan hosting the highest-level direct contact between the two governments in decades. (apnews.com) The talks began Saturday afternoon after separate meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the United States delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance. Iran’s team was led by parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (aljazeera.com) The first round ran about 14 to 15 hours, ended without a deal before dawn, and both sides signaled that discussions would continue on Sunday, April 12. Iranian state media said written texts were exchanged after the in-person sessions ended. (cnbc.com) These talks followed a two-week ceasefire announced on April 8 after roughly six weeks of war between the United States and Iran. The ceasefire has remained fragile as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz stayed disrupted and fighting tied to Lebanon remained unresolved. (apnews.com) (aljazeera.com) At the same time, the U.S. military moved ahead with a mine-clearance mission in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf that carries a large share of global oil and gas shipments. United States Central Command said on April 11 that the destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen and USS Michael Murphy had begun establishing a safe passage. (centcom.mil) United States Central Command said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had previously laid the sea mines, while Iran denied that account in other coverage. Admiral Brad Cooper said additional forces, including underwater drones, would join the operation in the coming days. (centcom.mil) (thehindu.com) Iran entered the Islamabad talks with public conditions of its own. Reuters-based reporting cited Iranian demands including movement on frozen assets and on violence in Lebanon, while the United States and Israel said the Lebanon fighting was outside the Iran ceasefire framework. (aljazeera.com) (cnbc.com) A second pressure point opened in Washington on April 11, when CNN reported that U.S. intelligence had flagged possible Chinese shipments of shoulder-fired air-defense missiles to Iran in the coming weeks. President Donald Trump said China would face “big problems” if it sent weapons, while the Chinese Embassy in Washington called the allegation untrue. (abc17news.com) Pakistan has cast itself as the intermediary trying to keep the ceasefire alive long enough for a broader settlement to take shape. By Sunday, the immediate question was whether the Islamabad channel could produce terms strong enough to outlast the warships, mines and threats surrounding it. (aljazeera.com) (centcom.mil)
