Pakistan has become the centre of one of the most consequential diplomatic weekends in decades, as Islamabad prepares to host expected peace talks between the United States and Iran. If the meetings go ahead, they would mark the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that severed their strategic ties — and Pakistan is sitting at the head of the table as mediator.
The Iranian delegation has already landed in the capital. Iranian state media confirmed the arrival of the negotiating team on Saturday, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf at its head. Flight-tracking data showed two Iranian government aircraft touching down near the capital, and Ghalibaf himself posted a photograph on X from inside the aircraft shortly after landing, signalling that Tehran means business.
Who Is Expected at the Table
On the American side, the delegation is expected to be led by Vice President JD Vance, who has been Washington’s point man on the Iran file for months. Vance reportedly wrote directly to Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, last week in a bid to revive stalled negotiations — a letter first reported by the Wall Street Journal and picked up by the New York Times, Axios and the Washington Post.
Tehran‘s team is expected to include Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi alongside Ghalibaf, according to reports. Gulf states including Qatar and Saudi Arabia may send representatives for parallel discussions, underlining how far the ripples of these talks could reach across the region.
Islamabad Turned Into a Fortress
The Pakistani government has left nothing to chance on the security front. The Serena Hotel, chosen as the venue for the discussions, was requisitioned days ago — guests received notices to vacate by Wednesday evening as the government declared an “important event” running through the weekend. Army and paramilitary forces ring the hotel, and police have enforced strict traffic regulations across the capital, with the Red Zone under particularly tight watch.
In a striking sign of the event’s scale, the government declared public holidays on Thursday and Friday. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has briefed the US charge d’affaires in Islamabad, Natalie Baker, on the arrangements, while a 30-member American advance team has been in the city for days assessing security protocols.
What Could Be on the Agenda
President Donald Trump has said the United States received what he called a 10-point proposal from Iran that could form a “workable basis” for negotiation. Araghchi, meanwhile, has spoken of a 15-point proposal that Trump’s chief negotiators believe could end the conflict. The proposed framework is understood to cover a negotiated settlement to the war, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the sensitive question of uranium enrichment.
This would not be the first attempt at such a breakthrough. Vance travelled to Islamabad in April for talks with Ghalibaf that ended without a deal, and a limited ceasefire memorandum signed in June collapsed within weeks as fighting resumed around the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts quoted in international coverage have described the coming weekend as “mission impossible” — but also as the best opening either side has had in years.
A Cloud of Conflicting Claims
For all the anticipation, readers should note that the picture is far from settled. Ghalibaf wrote on X that “no negotiations have been held with the US” and accused unnamed actors of spreading “fake news” to manipulate financial and oil markets. A senior Iranian foreign ministry official told CBS News that Tehran had “received points from the US through mediators” and that these were “being reviewed” — but cautioned this was only a potential precursor, with talks neither confirmed nor under way.
The White House has likewise urged caution, describing the situation as “fluid” and stressing that speculation “should not be deemed as final” until anything is formally announced. Trump himself said earlier this week that Iran had “one more chance at peace”, and extended a deadline linked to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by five days.
That uncertainty makes the weekend in Islamabad worth watching closely. Whatever happens — a handshake, a statement, or a walkout — Pakistan’s capital will be the stage, and the world will be looking.
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