Closely-watched peace negotiations between the United States and Iran were underway Saturday morning in Islamabad as major divisions over the Strait of Hormuz and Israel’s fresh bombardment of southern Lebanon threatened to derail the fragile negotiations.
Vice President JD Vance is leading the U.S. delegation in its peace talks with Iran. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, initially said his country would not negotiate unless key two measures — a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s heavily sanctioned assets — were met first.
The direct trilateral talks began after the two warring adversaries met separately with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has emerged as a key intermediary between the two sides, a White House official confirmed to MS NOW. It is the highest-level face-to-face meeting between the U.S. and Iran since 1979.
President Donald Trump said in an interview with News Nation that he has “no idea” how the sensitive negotiations will progress, but said he expects Iran will open the vital Strait of Hormuz to maritime shipping traffic “in the not-too-distant future.” The Islamic Republic regime, meanwhile, is seeking to retain full sovereignty over the strait — it’s greatest strategic advantage — and has plans to charge oil tankers with hefty fees for safe passage.
Trump said Saturday in a series of posts on Truth Social that ships are “rushing” to the United States to “load up” on oil and said the Strait of Hormuz “will soon be open.” He said Friday that the U.S. military was readying warships to strike Iran if the negotiations failed.
Iranian officials have demanded that ships each pay a toll of up to $2 million to pass safely through the strait, which could generate up to $100 billion a year. The revenue would benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which operates Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal.
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Hundreds of ships trying to pass through the strait remain stranded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed the Israeli Cabinet to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon in Washington next week after Trump instructed him to scale back the assault on Lebanon amid U.S.-Iranian negotiations and a temporary cease-fire agreement reached on Tuesday.
After announcing the two-week ceasefire, Trump indicated the U.S. would be willing to ease primary and secondary sanctions on Iran. He had previously floated the idea of joining Iran in collecting tolls from vessels in the strait, but later walked those comments back, telling reporters “we’re not gonna let that happen.”
Israel struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon overnight, according to The Associated Press. Pakistan’s Sharif asked all warring countries to adhere to the ceasefire amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon and reports earlier this week of Iranian attacks on countries including Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait.
Vance is joined in Islamabad by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, along with Andrew Baker, Trump’s deputy national security advisor, and Michael Vance, the vice president’s national security advisor. Ghalibaf is joined by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Inzamam Rashid, David Rohde and Jake Traylor contributed to this report.
Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter covering national politics and policy for MS NOW. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at SydneyCarruth.46 or follow her work on X and Bluesky.