Islamabad, 11 April 2026 (dpa/MIA) – A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan on Saturday for high-stakes peace talks with Iran, as a fragile and temporary ceasefire continued to hold.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are accompanying Vance along with other officials, Pakistani security officials said.

The Iranian negotiating team led by the speaker of parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, landed in Islamabad overnight. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and top-ranking security officials are also part of the delegation.

The highly anticipated talks are expected to begin in the afternoon after both delegations hold separate meetings with mediators.

The main mediators are Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and military chief Asim Munir, officials said.

Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire this week as part of efforts to end the conflict that began with US and Israeli attacks on Iranian targets on February 28. Those initial strikes also killed the country's supreme leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Up to 10,000 security personnel, including the army, paramilitary forces and police, have been tasked with safeguarding the talks in the Pakistani capital, alongside intelligence operatives. A so-called red zone, including the hotel where the talks are expected to take place, has been sealed off for the duration of the negotiations.

“The toughest task now lies ahead that is achieving lasting peace and resolving complex issues through dialogue. This stage is make or break," Sharif said in a late-night address to nation.