Live updates: Iran war news as Vance meets Pakistan’s prime minister ahead of US-Iran talks

Iran war talks: VP Vance lands in Islamabad on eve of US-Iran negotiations

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad late Saturday for emergency talks with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hours before US negotiators face Iranian diplomats in Oman.

The White House confirmed Vance carried a direct message from President Trump demanding Pakistan use its influence with Tehran to prevent Israeli retaliation after last week’s missile exchange.

Pakistan shares a 909-kilometer border with Iran and maintains back-channel communications with both Tehran and Washington through its military intelligence service. Sharif’s government has walked a diplomatic tightrope since Israeli jets struck Iranian targets on April 8, responding to Iran’s April 5 launch of 200 missiles at Israel.

Vance’s unannounced visit signals Washington’s growing alarm that Israel might expand its April 8 strikes into a full-scale assault on Iranian nuclear facilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his security cabinet on Friday that “all options remain on the table” after Iran’s largest ever missile attack caused 23 deaths near Tel Aviv.

The vice president’s motorcade sped from Nur Khan airbase to Sharif’s private residence past midnight local time. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Vance on the tarmac, telling reporters the talks would cover “immediate de-escalation measures” but declining to elaborate.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will join Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Muscat on Sunday for their first direct meeting since Trump ordered the January 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. The Oman talks remained scheduled despite Israeli strikes that killed 41 people near Tehran’s international airport on Tuesday.

Pakistani officials said Sharif would press Vance for guarantees that any US-Iran agreement includes provisions protecting Pakistan from potential fallout. Islamabad fears Israeli strikes could trigger refugee flows across its border or provoke Iranian retaliation against US bases in Pakistan’s western provinces.

“Pakistan cannot afford to become collateral damage in someone else’s war,” a senior Pakistani foreign ministry official told GlobalBeat on condition of anonymity. The official noted that Iran’s missile program relies partly on Pakistani technology transferred during the 1990s, giving Islamabad unique leverage with Tehran.

Vance’s arrival coincided with Pakistan’s military placing troops along the Iranian border on high alert. Convoys of army trucks carrying troops and equipment were visible on the Quetta-Zahedan highway throughout Saturday, according to local journalists. Pakistan closed the border crossing at Taftan on Wednesday after Iranian artillery fire landed near Pakistani positions.

The crisis has already damaged Pakistan’s fragile economy. The rupee fell to a historic low of 310 against the dollar on Thursday as investors fled emerging markets. Pakistan’s stock exchange dropped 4.3% this week, wiping $2.1 billion off market value. Oil prices surged above $95 per barrel, threatening to inflate Pakistan’s $28 billion annual energy import bill.

Washington hopes Islamabad can convince Iran to accept limits on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Pakistan maintains warm relations with both countries, receiving US military aid while importing Iranian gas and electricity. Sharif’s government recently approved a $2 billion expansion of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline despite US opposition.

Israeli officials dismissed prospects for diplomacy. “Talking to the mullahs while they build bombs is like bargaining with someone holding a gun to your head,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X Saturday. Katz said Israel had “additional targets ready” if Iran refuses to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure.

Iran insists its nuclear program serves civilian purposes. Araghchi told Iranian state television that Tehran would “never surrender to threats” but remained open to “honest negotiations” based on mutual respect. Iran’s parliament voted Friday to accelerate uranium enrichment to 90% weapons-grade levels if Israel launches new strikes.

European powers scrambled to prevent wider war. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Putin on Saturday about creating a joint mediation team including China and India. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer dispatched his foreign minister to both Jerusalem and Tehran, though Iranian officials refused to meet the British envoy.

Background

US-Iran relations collapsed after Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed “maximum pressure” sanctions that crippled Iran’s economy. President Joe Biden’s administration failed to revive the agreement during his single term, with talks collapsing in 2022 after Iran cracked down on nationwide protests.

Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on Iranian targets in Syria over the past decade but had never before attacked inside Iran itself. The April 8 raids marked a dramatic escalation following Iran’s unprecedented April 5 missile barrage, its largest ever direct attack on Israel. Israeli officials say they destroyed 80% of Iran’s long-range missile stockpile in the counter-strike.

Pakistan’s role as potential mediator reflects its unique position in the Muslim world. As the only nuclear-armed Islamic nation, Pakistan maintains influence with both Sunni Arab states and Shiite Iran. Islamabad previously helped secure the release of US hikers detained by Iran in 2011 and facilitated early contacts between Washington and the Taliban.

What’s Next

Sunday’s Muscat talks will test whether either side is willing to step back from the brink. Iranian officials said Araghchi would demand an immediate Israeli ceasefire and lifting of US sanctions as preconditions for discussing nuclear limits. The US delegation wants Iran to halt uranium enrichment and allow renewed international inspections within 30 days.

Failure in Oman could trigger Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as early as next week. Israel has prepared strike packages targeting the Natanz enrichment facility and Fordow underground complex, according to Israeli media reports. Iranian officials warned that any attack on nuclear sites would provoke retaliation against Israeli cities and US bases across the Middle East.