Islamabad, Pakistan - April 11, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of U.S.-Iran talks venue Islamabad Serena Hotel, security
2. Various of Jinnah Convention Center (media center for U.S.-Iran talks), posters with words reading "Islamabad Talks"
3. Various of security

Islamabad, Pakistan - April 11, 2026 (Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner walking down gangway, talking, walking with officials
5. Plane taxiing
6. Various of U.S. Vice President JD Vance walking down gangway, talking with officials

Islamabad, Pakistan - April 11, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Plane carrying Iranian delegation landing
8. Motorcade of Iranian delegation leaving airport

Islamabad, Pakistan - April 11, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of interior of media center for U.S.-Iran talks, journalists

Tehran, Iran - April 8, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International/Radio Farda)
10. Various of traffic, pedestrians, national flags of Iran

FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Oct 2024 (CCTV Video News Agency - No access Chinese mainland)
11. Various of White House, U.S. national flag

The U.S. and Iranian negotiators have begun their engagement in Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad Saturday, with their messages conveyed to each other in various ways.

The talks started Saturday afternoon, according to media reports. Earlier, the two sides met separately with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who continued to relay messages to both sides in efforts to reach a peaceful solution for the Middle East crisis.

The Iranian negotiation team discussed the preconditions of the talks with Sharif ahead of their talks with U.S. counterparts, according to Pakistani sources.

Issues related to the Strait of Hormuz, the unfreezing of Iranian assets and accounts, payment for reconstruction, immediate stop of the attacks, including in Lebanon, and permission for civilian nuclear energy use are among the preconditions the Iranian side discussed, according to Pakistani sources.

When meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Sharif commended the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, and expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region.

Sharif reiterated that Pakistan looks forward to continuing its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region.

Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan said in a social post that it remains to be seen whether the U.S. honors the mediation efforts of the host.

Iranian sources said that as the negotiations enter the expert level, some members of the professional committees of the Iranian delegation have gone to the negotiation site to participate in the consultations.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he did not care whether the talks with Iran in Islamabad would go well or not, as he threatened to continue military action, according to media reports.

Iran said it had detected a U.S. destroyer sailing from the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates towards the Strait of Hormuz.

After informed by the Iranian armed forces, the Iranian delegation conveyed its position to the U.S. side through the Pakistani mediator. It also issued a clear warning to the destroyer, saying that if it continued to approach the Strait of Hormuz, it would be attacked within 30 minutes and the negotiations would also be affected.

The U.S. side eventually ordered the destroyer to stop advancing and return.

Trump on Saturday wrote in a social media post that the United States has started to "clearing out the Strait of Hormuz", and that all of Iran's minelaying ships have been sunk.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said earlier that the talks began immediately after the Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad.

Baghaei said Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi held talks with the Pakistani side for about two and a half hours, during which Iran's considerations, viewpoints and demands based on the 10-point peace plan had been clearly delivered to the Pakistani side.

The Iranian delegation has been in continuous contact and real-time coordination with Hezbollah in Lebanon, closely monitoring the enemy's aggressive actions and the responses of the resistance forces, so as to make necessary decisions on the negotiation process based on the latest developments, according to the Iranian side.

Qalibaf on Friday demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations with the United States.

He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X while elaborating on Iran's preconditions for taking part in the talks.

A senior U.S. official said Saturday that the White House has not yet agreed to unfreeze Iran's overseas assets, according to media reports.

U.S. delegates led by Vance arrived in Pakistan at midday on Saturday for talks with Iran.

The U.S. team also includes U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are in a separate plane landing at the Nur Khan airbase.


The Iranian delegation led by Qalibaf arrived there early Saturday.

In the backdrop of the important talks, security measures in Pakistan's federal capital, Islamabad, remain tightened, with limited public entry to the venue.

The Jinnah Convention Center in Islamabad is buzzing with local and foreign journalists as they work around the clock to cover the U.S.-Iran peace talks.

A separate Pakistani source said that "the pace of the talks process is slower than expected, and it can go longer than expected."

After the arrival of the dignitaries in Islamabad, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar expressed hope that all parties involved in the ongoing conflict would engage constructively to advance efforts toward a peaceful resolution.