US-Iran Talks Begin April 11 in Pakistan: Who Attends? How Will They Proceed? Key Pre-Meeting Points

Here are Al Jazeera's key pre-meeting points for the US-Iran talks. The talks between the US and Iran, invited by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are expected to begin this weekend in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The White House stated that formal talks will commence on the morning of April 11th local time; Iran's Supreme National Security Council announced on April 8th that the talks could last up to 15 days. Delegations from all parties are expected to stay at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad. The hotel is located in the capital's "Red Zone," adjacent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, surrounded by government key areas and foreign embassies. The Serena Hotel has been requisitioned from the evening of April 8th to April 12th, with guests asked to vacate, and the hotel is also expected to serve as the venue for the talks. Pakistani authorities have declared April 9th and 10th as holidays for the capital, but essential services such as police, hospitals, and public facilities will not be affected. Security in Islamabad has been fully upgraded. The Red Zone has been sealed off, and major access roads into Islamabad have also been closed. The White House has confirmed that Vice President JD Vance will lead the US delegation, which includes President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Iranian side is expected to be led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The Financial Times disclosed that the delegation will also include a senior official from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Ghalibaf himself has also served as a commander of the IRGC. However, Pakistani officials reminded that everything remains subject to change until the actual arrival of the delegations. Reza Amiri Moghadam, the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan, briefly posted on social media platform X earlier, stating that the Iranian delegation would arrive on April 9th for "serious negotiations based on Iran's 10-point proposal," but he deleted the post a few hours later. Formally, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will preside over the talks, and he will also hold preliminary separate meetings with both delegations beforehand. It is expected that Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, who has been mediating for weeks, will be the actual host of the April 11th talks. The US and Iranian delegations are expected to stay in separate conference rooms on April 11th, with Pakistani officials relaying messages between the two sides. Pakistani officials stated that over 30 international media outlets have applied for visas, and at least 20 journalists have been granted entry. Al Jazeera pointed out that Vance's participation is seen as a turning point. Iran was initially reluctant to engage with Witkoff and Kushner again, mainly because the US military abruptly launched bombings in February while negotiations were still ongoing. In contrast, Iran views Vance as more positive towards ending the conflict; Vance has always been cautious about long-term US military involvement in the Middle East. In recent weeks, Pakistan has become an important bridge between Washington and Tehran. Although Pakistan has had tense relations with both the US and Iran in the past, it can at least communicate with both sides at present. Pakistan shares a 900-kilometer border with Iran, and its Shiite Muslim population is second only to Iran globally, which also highlights Pakistan's importance. Furthermore, unlike other Middle Eastern Muslim countries, Pakistan does not host US military bases, which makes it more reliable in Iran's eyes; at the same time, Pakistan has been designated a "major non-NATO ally" by the United States since 2004. (Graphic by Central News Agency) Follow Central News Agency via Google News. The last sitting US President to visit Pakistan was George W. Bush in March 2006, and the last US Vice President to visit Pakistan was Joe Biden in January 2011. However, the position of US Ambassador to Pakistan remains vacant. Since 2018, only Donald Blome served as Ambassador to Pakistan from 2022 to early 2025. It is quite rare for a Vice President to visit a country where the US has not appointed an ambassador.