The US delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, and Iranian officials each met separately with Pakistan’s prime minister earlier Saturday.
Sources: China preparing to ship weapons to Iran
Here’s the latest
• High-stakes talks: A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance is holding face-to-face negotiations with Iranian officials in Pakistan, sources told CNN. Previous discussions were conducted primarily through mediators.
• Key shipping lane: Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said the US is starting the process of “clearing out” the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that has been central to negotiations. It was not initially clear what that would entail.
• Lebanon diplomacy: Lebanese and Israeli diplomats plan to meet in Washington, DC, next week. Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah has continued despite the US-Iran truce, bringing some of the deadliest days in Lebanon during the current Mideast conflict.
• Alleged weapons shipment: US intelligence indicates China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran amid the fragile ceasefire, according to sources. The Chinese embassy in Washington denied the report.Allcatch up
30 Posts2 min ago
A closer look at Iran’s negotiating team
By Adam Pourahmadi
Iran’s delegation at the Islamabad talks is being led by a trio of senior political and diplomatic figures, according to reports from Iranian media on the ground.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a powerful figure within Iran’s political system, is heading the team and is overseeing the overall direction of the negotiations.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi brings extensive experience from past nuclear negotiations with Western powers.
Ali Bagheri Kani, a key hardline negotiator, has also played a central role in previous nuclear talks with the United States.
The Iranian delegation consists of around 70 members in total. In addition to the main negotiators, 26 members are part of technical committees in economic, security and political fields, in order to provide necessary consultations, Iranian media reported.
Talks between US and Iranian officials are direct, sources tell CNN
Today’s peace talks between the US and Iran are happening face-to-face, Iranian sources told CNN.
Earlier CNN reported that the negotiations in Islamabad are now underway, amid a lack of certainty over they would be conducted through intermediaries or not.
A US official and a regional source told CNN on Friday that the high-stakes negotiations would be both indirect and direct.
Past rounds of talks have largely been indirect, through Omani mediators, although there were some direct contacts during nuclear negotiations last spring.
Trump says US is “clearing out” the Strait of Hormuz
By Riane Lumer
President Donald Trump says the US is “clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” as Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reports that high-stakes negotiations between the US and Iran are underway in Pakistan.
“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others. Incredibly, they don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves,” Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after arriving at his golf club in Virginia today.
It is unclear what exactly clearing out the strait entails. CNN has reached out to US Central Command for information.
He continued: “Very interestingly, however, empty Oil carrying ships from many Nations are all heading to the United States of America to LOAD UP with Oil.”
The critical oil thoroughfare traffics approximately 20% of the world’s total oil supply. Reopening the strait was a key provision in the ceasefire agreement, though few ships have traversed the waterway since it went into effect days ago.