The American and Iranian delegations arrived in Islamabad for peace talks on Saturday, amid an atmosphere of mutual mistrust.
Agence France-Presse reported that the Iranian delegation, which includes more than 70 members, first arrived in Islamabad, which witnessed tight security measures, noting that the delegation is headed by Tehran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Qalibaf said in a statement to reporters upon his arrival: “We have good intentions, but we do not trust the Americans, and our experience in negotiating with them has always failed.”.
For his part, US Vice President J.D. Vance, who heads a delegation that includes Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, expressed similar caution in his statements to reporters before leaving Washington.
Vance said before his plane took off from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington: “We will try to engage in positive negotiations, and if the Iranians are ready to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly ready to extend a hand”.
US President Donald Trump called for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and pledged to do so soon “with or without Iran’s cooperation”, stressing that his top priority in the peace talks is to ensure that Tehran does not possess a nuclear weapon.
