04/11/2026, 07:2604/11/2026, 07:26
What’s new?
Immediately before the start of the planned peace talks in Pakistan between the USA and Iran, both warring parties insisted on their respective demands. Iran made its participation in the negotiations in the capital Islamabad dependent, among other things, on an end to the Israeli attacks in Lebanon. US President Donald Trump, for his part, has already threatened new attacks on Iran if Tehran does not comply with US demands.
JD Vance represents the USA in the negotiations in Pakistan.Image: keystone
Who represents the two countries?
The USA is represented at the second highest level in Islamabad by Vice President JD Vance. The large Iranian delegation is also made up of high-ranking members. In addition to the head Ghalibaf, these also include Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the Secretary of the Defense Council, Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, and the Governor of the Central Bank, Abdol-Naser Hemmati, as the Iranian Fars news agency reported.
The Iranian delegation in Pakistan.Image: keystone
How should the negotiations take place?
The schedule and format of the negotiations were initially not entirely clear. The following is expected:
- Initial talks are likely to take place indirectly, with Pakistan acting as an intermediary between the two sides. This was recently the case with the nuclear talks brokered by Oman.
- If there is progress, direct negotiations could also take place. With Vance leading the U.S. delegation, the talks would represent the highest-level direct exchange with the Islamic Republic in some time.
- According to media reports, an extension of the negotiations to Sunday should also be possible if progress is made.
What is the starting point?
Over the years and under changing US presidents, there have been repeated negotiations with Iran over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. The conversations each took a very long time. After a good five weeks of war, the starting position is now different:
- The USA and Israel have attacked thousands of targets in Iran, massively weakening the country militarily and killing some of its leadership. Trump therefore thinks that the USA now holds all the trump cards. “The only reason they are still alive today is to negotiate!” Trump wrote on Friday.
- The new leadership in Tehran also sees itself in a position of strength before the talks: the Islamic Republic’s power system remains intact and the US allies in the Persian Gulf have had to cope with painful counterattacks. Above all, Iran continues to control the Strait of Hormuz, which is crucial for global energy supplies – and is thus keeping the global economy in suspense. From Iran’s perspective, Washington is therefore under time pressure.
Fire following an attack in Tehran in March.Image: keystone
What are the major points of contention?
Even if some maximum demands were only intended to serve as a negotiating tactic, the positions of the two warring parties are far apart.
- One of the biggest points of conflict is Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claims control of the strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and plans to introduce a toll system. The USA, on the other hand, demands free and safe passage for ships without fees – as was the case before the war.
- Washington is also demanding the release of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and the cessation of Iran’s nuclear program. Washington also wants to impose limits on Iran’s ballistic missile development program.
- Iran, in turn, is demanding the release of frozen Iranian assets and reparations for damage caused during the war. Tehran is also demanding the lifting of all sanctions, a guarantee that there will be no more attacks and a withdrawal of US soldiers from the Middle East.
A central question in the negotiations: What will happen to the Strait of Hormuz?Image: keystone
What about Lebanon?
Despite maximum demands and sharp rhetoric from both sides, the two-week ceasefire agreed between the USA and Iran has largely held since Wednesday. However, it is controversial whether the ceasefire also applies to Lebanon: Tehran sees it that way, but the USA and Israel do not.
That’s why it was unclear until recently whether the Iranian delegation would even take part in the talks. Tehran is demanding an end to Israeli attacks on the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon as a precondition.
However, Israel and Lebanon made initial contacts to prepare for talks on a future ceasefire. In a telephone conversation, the Lebanese ambassador in Washington and the Israeli ambassador in the USA explored the opportunities for negotiations, as the presidential office in Beirut announced.
Accordingly, a first meeting was agreed on Tuesday at the US State Department. The aim is to announce a ceasefire and begin formal negotiations between Israel and Lebanon with the mediation of the USA, it was said from Beirut. According to a report by the US news portal Axios, Israel is ready for talks with Lebanon, but not for negotiations on a ceasefire with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah.
(dab/sda/dpa)