In brief
- Talks between the United States and Iran about ending the war in the Middle East have begun in Pakistan.
- The US military claimed two ships had transited the Strait of Hormuz, a claim Iranian state media denied.
The United States and Iran began historic face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced, as the war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets entered its seventh week.
The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks, a rare instance of high-level engagement. Iranian state TV said talks continued as of 1am Sunday in Islamabad.
Meanwhile, the US military said two destroyers transited the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz ahead of mine-clearing work, a first since the war began. Iran’s state media, however, said the joint military command denied that.
The US delegation led by vice president JD Vance and the Iranian one led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf discussed with Pakistan how to advance the ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel's continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, whose health ministry said the death toll has surpassed 2,000.
Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the most direct US contact had been in 2013 when president Barack Obama called newly elected president Hassan Rouhani to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.
The most recent highest-level meetings were between secretary of state John Kerry and counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif during negotiations over the program.
Now talks feature Vance, a reluctant defender of the war who has little diplomatic experience and warned Iran not to "try and play us" and Qalibaf, a former commander with Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard who has issued some of Iran's most fiery statements since fighting began.
Iran sets ‘red lines’ including compensation for strikes
Iran’s state-run news agency said the three-party talks began after Iranian preconditions, including a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, were met.
Iran's delegation told state television it had presented "red lines" in meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, including compensation for damage caused by US-Israeli strikes that launched the war on 28 February and releasing Iran's frozen assets.
The war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 2,020 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states, and caused lasting damage to infrastructure in half a dozen Middle Eastern countries.
Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz has largely cut off the Persian Gulf and its oil and gas exports from the global economy, sending energy prices soaring.
US sending forces to help mine-clearing on the strait
Ahead of the talks, US President Donald Trump accused Iran of using the Strait of Hormuz for extortion, and told reporters Friday it would be opened "with or without them".
Iran’s closure of the strait has proved its biggest strategic advantage in the war. Around a fifth of the world’s traded oil had typically passed through on over 100 ships a day. Only 12 have been recorded transiting since the ceasefire.
On Saturday, Trump said on social media that the US had begun "clearing out" the strait.
"Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon," US Central Command commander Brad Cooper later said.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi had said Iran was entering negotiations with "deep distrust" after strikes on Iran during previous talks.
Araghchi, part of Iran's delegation in Pakistan, said on Saturday that his country was prepared to retaliate if attacked again.
Iran's 10-point proposal ahead of the talks called for a guaranteed end to the war and sought control over the Strait of Hormuz. It included ending fighting against Iran's "regional allies," explicitly calling for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah.
The United States' 15-point proposal includes restricting Iran's nuclear program and reopening the strait.
Israel and Lebanon will have direct negotiations
Meanwhile, Israel pressed ahead with strikes in Lebanon after saying there is no ceasefire there. Iran and Pakistan have disagreed. The Lebanese state-run news agency reported at least three people killed.
Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to begin Tuesday in Washington, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's office said Friday, after Israel's surprise announcement authorising talks despite the countries lack of official relations.
But as thousands in Lebanon protested the planned negotiations, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he had postponed a planned trip to Washington "in light of the current internal circumstances". His absence should not affect talks as the first round is expected to be at the ambassadorial level.
Israel wants Lebanon's government to assume responsibility for disarming Hezbollah, much like was envisaged in a November 2024 ceasefire. But it is unclear whether Lebanon's army can confiscate weapons from the militant group, which has survived efforts to curb its strength for decades.
Hezbollah joined the war in support of Iran in the opening days. Israel followed with airstrikes and a ground invasion.
The day the Iran ceasefire deal was announced, Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes, killing more than 300 people in the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began, according to the country's health ministry.
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