A woman walks past a digital screen displaying news of US-Iran peace talks along a road in Islamabad on April 10, 2026. (Photo by Farooq Naeem / AFP)
Doha, Qatar: High-profile officials from Iran and the US are in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, for the highly-anticipated ceasefire talks, which Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described as "make or break".
Pakistan has declared a two-day holiday, and deployed 10,000 security personnel on duty.
Stay tuned for more updates:
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4:04pm Doha Time
Iran-US talks have started in Islamabad
Sources tell Al Jazeera that negotiations between the Iranian and US delegations have begun in the Pakistani capital.
3:45pm Doha Time
Pakistan Prime Minister meets with Iranian delegates
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with the Iranian delegation at the Islamabad Talks today, April 11, 2026.
The Iranian side was led by the Honorable Speaker of the Iranian Consultative Assembly, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and accompanied by the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Abbas Araghchi.
Appreciating Iran’s engagement in the Islamabad Talks, the Prime Minister affirmed Pakistan’s sincere resolve to continue playing its role as a mediator to help build momentum towards achieving meaningful results in the interest of regional and global peace and stability.
3:30pm Doha Time
US official denies report Washington agreed to unfreeze Iran assets
A senior US official denied on Saturday a report saying Washington had agreed to release Iran's frozen assets held in foreign banks.
Iranian and US delegations have arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan for talks aimed at ending the war in the Middle East. Read more
3:20pm Doha Time
Trump says empty oil tankers heading to US
US President Donald Trump said a large number of empty tankers are heading to the US to load oil and gas, his comments come as US and Iranian negotiators hold ceasefire talks in Pakistan.
“Massive numbers of completely empty oil tankers, some of the largest anywhere in the World, are heading, right now, to the United States to load up with the best and “sweetest” oil (and gas!) anywhere in the World,” he posted on Truth Social.
“We have more oil than the next two largest oil economies combined – and higher quality. We are waiting for you. Quick turnaround!”
1:27pm Doha Time
Pakistan Prime Minister meets with US Vice president
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has held a meeting with the Vice President of the United States of America, JD Vance.
Commending the commitment of both delegations from Iran and the US to engage constructively, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that the talks would serve as a stepping stone toward a lasting peace in the region.
The Prime Minister reiterated that Pakistan looks forward to continue its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region.
The U.S. Vice President was accompanied by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Pakistan Prime Minister meets with US Vice president
— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) April 11, 2026
Read more: https://t.co/AVSSvsdZ3X pic.twitter.com/XxLJAOqU0U
1:10pm Doha Time
Pakistani military force arrives in Saudi Arabi as part of joint military coordination
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense announced the arrival of a military force from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan at King Abdulaziz Air Base in the Eastern Sector, under the Joint Strategic Defense Agreement signed between the two countries.
The Pakistani force consists of fighter and support aircraft belonging to the Pakistani Air Force, with the aim of enhancing joint military coordination, raising the level of operational readiness between the armed forces of the two countries, and supporting security and stability at both regional and international levels.
12:45pm Doha Time
IN PHOTOS: US delegates arrive in Pakistan for US-Iran peace talks
Handout photographs taken and released by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 11, 2026 show US Vice President JD Vance, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner following their arrival for US-Iran peace talks at the Nur Khan military airbase in Islamabad.
Welcoming them at the airbase were Pakistan's Army Chief and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
Photos by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP
12:40pm Doha Time
Iran envoys meet Pakistani PM ahead of US talks
An Iranian government delegation met Pakistan's prime minister on Saturday to discuss the terms of planned "make or break" negotiations to end the Middle East war with a US party led by Vice President JD Vance.
With the first talks underway at Islamabad's Serena Hotel, Iranian media reported that the Iranian side would decide at the end of the meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif whether to go ahead with negotiations with the Americans.
Iran has previously said that any agreement on a permanent end to fighting must include the unfreezing of sanctioned Iranian assets and include an end to Israel's war on Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Vance has said will not be up for discussion in Islamabad.
10:15am Doha Time
Pakistan says hopes Iran, US will 'engage constructively' after Vance arrival
Pakistan's foreign minister on Saturday called for the United States and Iran to "engage constructively" at talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the Middle East war, after both delegations arrived in the Pakistani capital.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar "expressed the hope that parties would engage constructively, and reiterated Pakistan's desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching lasting and durable solution to the conflict", said a foreign ministry statement.
9:40am Doha Time
US Vice President JD Vance lands in Pakistan for Iran talks: AFP
US Vice President JD Vance landed at an airbase near Pakistan's capital on Saturday ahead of negotiations with Iran aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.
Vance, who was sent by President Donald Trump to lead the US negotiating team, was met by Pakistan's powerful army chief Asim Munir after disembarking at Nur Khan air base near Islamabad.
9:30am Doha Time
Exclusive footage of Iranian missile attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar
Qatar has released new videos showing damage from Iranian missile attacks on Ras Laffan Industrial City in March. The site, which includes part of the world’s largest LNG export hub, was hit during a wave of regional escalation, with QatarEnergy reporting extensive damage.
Qatar later said some repairs could take years, underlining the longer-term impact on one of the world’s most important gas facilities. Video credits: Al Jazeera
Qatar has released new videos showing damage from Iranian missile attacks on Ras Laffan Industrial City in March. The site, which includes part of the world’s largest LNG export hub, was hit during a wave of regional escalation, with QatarEnergy reporting extensive damage.
— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) April 11, 2026
… pic.twitter.com/Oxy37nxQSS
9:15am Doha Time
IN PHOTOS: Pakistan on high alert for US-Iran Peace talks
Army personnel patrol near the Serena Hotel, the expected venue for the US-Iran peace talks, at the Red Zone area in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. Photos by AFP photographers
8:45am Doha Time
US envoys Witkoff, Kushner arrive in Islamabad for talks
Sources in Pakistan have told the Reuters news agency that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have landed in Islamabad for talks with Iran.
7am Doha Time
Iran delegation in Pakistan capital ahead of US talks: state TV
A delegation of top Iranian officials arrived in Islamabad ahead of ceasefire talks with the United States in the Pakistani capital, Iranian state television reported Friday.
The delegation was led by Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other security and economic officials, state broadcaster IRIB said on its website. It reiterated Iran's position, however, that talks would only begin if Washington accepts Iran's preconditions.
Ghalibaf earlier set a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has attacked militant group Hezbollah, and the "release of Iran's blocked assets" as conditions for the start of negotiations with the US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance.
Official sources say the Islamabad talks will cover sensitive points, including Iran's nuclear enrichment and the free flow of trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the two-week ceasefire started, US President Donald Trump has voiced displeasure at Iran's handling of the strategic strait, which was meant to be reopened. Tehran has in turn reacted angrily to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, insisting that it too falls under the agreement.
Trump posted on his Truth Social network on Friday that Iran has "no cards" in the talks "other than a short-term extortion of the World by using International Waterways".
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked both sides for agreeing to meet, but said the talks will be hard work.
"A temporary ceasefire has been announced, but now an even more difficult stage lies ahead: the stage of achieving a lasting ceasefire, of resolving complicated issues through negotiations," he said in a televised speech.
"This is that stage which, in English, is called the equivalent of 'make or break'."
6am Doha Time
US President says Strait of Hormuz will open soon
US President Donald Trump confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened soon, whether Iran cooperates or not, stressing that his top priority in the peace talks in Islamabad is to ensure that Tehran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.
In remarks, Trump said that they would open the strait with Iran or without it, expressing his belief that it would happen very quickly, and that if it does not, Washington would be able to resolve the matter.
When asked what he considers a good agreement with Iran, the US president replied that it means no nuclear weapons, noting that this accounts for 99% of the agreement.
Trump has sent his Vice President JD Vance to Pakistan to negotiate with senior Iranian officials in an effort to reach a peace agreement, following the announcement on Tuesday of a two-week ceasefire, at a time when the world is facing a severe energy crisis due to the halt in navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s crude oil passes.
7am Doha Time
