The United States and Iran began bilateral negotiations in Pakistan on Saturday after a fragile two-week ceasefire was announced, marking the seventh week of war that has caused thousands of deaths and disrupted global markets.
The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks, a rare high-level engagement of the U.S. government with the Iranian government.
The official Iranian news agency stated that tripartite talks involving Pakistan began after Iranian preconditions, including a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, were met, and after American and Iranian officials separately met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
An American delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by Parliament President Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf each met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to his office and Iranian media.
Since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the most direct contact between the United States and Iran occurred in September 2013 when President Barack Obama called newly elected President Hassan Rouhani to discuss the Iranian nuclear program. The latest high-level meetings took place between Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif during negotiations on this program.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its strikes in Lebanon, contrary to Iran’s condition for suspending fighting in that country before resuming talks. The official Lebanese news agency reported that Israeli strikes on Saturday had killed at least three people.
The war has claimed at least 3,000 lives in Iran, 1,953 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel, and over a dozen in the Arab Gulf states. It has severely disrupted the global economy, causing a spike in energy prices and damaging infrastructure in half a dozen countries in the region.
In Tehran, residents told the Associated Press that they were skeptical but optimistic about the negotiations after weeks of airstrikes that devastated their country. Shahab Banitaba questioned whether the U.S. could be trusted to uphold an agreement.
“Even if we get concrete and definitive results, there’s always a risk the agreement could fall apart,” he said.
Context: The article highlights the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan, as well as the broader implications of the conflict in the Middle East.
Fact Check: The article accurately describes the political and military dynamics between the United States, Iran, and other regional actors involved in the conflict.
