Experts from Iran, US exchange written texts after in-person talks in Islamabad

Teams of experts from Iran and the US have exchanged written texts after an hours-long in-person discussion in Islamabad, where the two sides held negotiations as a pause in the Middle East war continues.

Earlier, the Iranian government said in a post on X that the talks were held at the “expert-level stage as economic, military, legal, and nuclear committees joined”.

“Negotiations continue at the Serena Hotel to finalise technical details,” it had added.

The talks take place during a two-week ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran that began with US-Israeli attacks on February 28. The conflict, which spread across the Middle East and sent shockwaves through global economies, paused after Pakistan brokered a temporary ceasefire on April 8.

Subsequently, talks were scheduled in Islamabad, for which delegations from the two countries have arrived.

The US delegation is led by US Vice President JD Vance, who is accompanied by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

The Iranian delegation is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and also includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with other leaders.

In a post on X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran’s delegation remained “fully committed” to safeguarding the country’s interests.

He expressed hope that the delegation would “negotiate courageously”. He added that regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, the government will “stand by its people”.