The negotiations come amid a fragile two-week ceasefire that has paused US-Israeli strikes on Iran, but failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or halt Israel's bombings in Lebanon.
DW has the latest.
Here is a roundup of the latest development from the conflict in the Middle East on Saturday, April 11:
Pakistan calls for 'constructive' negotiations
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday urged the United States and Iran to "engage constructively" at talks in Islamabad .
In a foreign ministry statement, the 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.
Dispute over Lebanon strains fragile US-Iran talks
Lebanon has emerged as a key sticking point in US-Iran talks, with Tehran insisting any ceasefire must include an end to Israeli strikes against the Iran-backed Lebanese militants Hezbollah.
Here are the details how the issue of Lebanon looms over the talks:
Can Hezbollah be disarmed?
Israel and Lebanon to hold talks
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Islamabad on edge ahead of US-Iran peace talks
All eyes are on Islamabad, where US and Iranian delegations are set to start negotiations.
Experts are cautiously optimistic, but also say a failure of the talks would spell more global chaos.
For more, read our story by DW's Haroon Janjua, reporting from Islamabad.
JD Vance lands in Pakistan to lead US delegation
US Vice President JD Vance has landed in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, according to Reuters news agency, citing a Pakistani source.
Vance is leading the US team for the highly anticipated talks with Iran.
Witkoff, Kushner arrive in Islamabad
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner have arrived in Islamabad for talks with Iran, Reuters news agency reported citing Pakistani sources on Saturday.
A US government plane carrying top officials landed in the Pakistani capital .
At the negotiations, the US delegation will be led by Vice President JD Vance.
The Iranian delegation arrived a day earlier on Friday.
Why Pakistan has emerged as a mediator between US and Iran
Pakistan's role as a diplomatic mediator in an increasingly global conflict may have surprised some, but there are several good reasons for Islamabad's involvement.
And it's not the first time that Pakistan has stepped up, either.
Here's how Pakistan emerged as a key go-between in the Middle East conflict:
Pakistan has good ties with Iran
Pakistan has longstanding diplomatic ties with the United States
Pakistan has mediated in international conflicts before
Previous Pakistani mediations include:
Can Pakistan stop the Iran war?
US, Iran to hold talks in Islamabad
The United States and Iran are set to hold high-stakes talks in Islamabad on Saturday aimed at ending their six-week war.
But Tehran's demands for commitments on Lebanon and sanctions relief have cast doubt over whether the negotiations will be successful.
A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner, is en route to Pakistan.
Iran's team, headed by parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, arrived on Friday.
"We have good intentions but we do not trust," Qalibaf said, according to Iranian state TV, upon his arrival in Pakistan's capital.
Qalibaf said talks would not begin unless Washington unblocks Iranian assets and extends the ceasefire to Lebanon, where Israeli attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have killed nearly 2,000 people since the start of the war on February 28.
The United States and Israel say Lebanon is not covered by the ceasefire, a position Iran rejects.
US President Donald Trump struck a hard line ahead of the talks, saying Iran had "no cards" to play other than blocking the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump described as "a short-term extortion of the World by using International Waterways."
"The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
The negotiations come amid a fragile two-week ceasefire that has paused US and Israeli strikes on Iran but failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or halt Israeli attacks on Lebanon, while Hezbollah rocket fire continued.
Is the Iran truce already unraveling?
The US and Iran will hold talks in Islamabad on Saturday that could bring an end to their six-week war , though Tehran has cast doubt by demanding commitments on Lebanon and sanctions first.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has helped broker the negotiations , has described the talks as a "make-or-break moment."
Here are the main developments from Friday:
Our Friday live blog has all these and more in-depth coverage of the Iran war.
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Source: This article was originally published by Deutsche Welle (DW)
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