US-Iran peace talks begin

Vice President JD Vance is leading the American delegation in Islamabad for the most significant direct diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran since 1979.

The talks aim to solidify a temporary two-week ceasefire and find a permanent resolution to the six-week-old war that has roiled global energy markets.

Iranian officials, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, have demanded the unfreezing of assets and a cessation of Israeli strikes in Lebanon as preconditions for a lasting deal.

Despite the high stakes, internal divisions within both administrations and escalating rhetoric from President Trump threaten to undermine the delicate mediation process.