ISLAMABAD (AP) — Top American and Iranian officials are in Pakistan for the first round of talks on how to convert the two-week ceasefire into lasting peace, But the ceasefire faced new hurdles on Saturday as officials publicly outlined competing preconditions and claims of leverage in negotiations. Israel and Hezbollah militants traded fire along the border of southern Lebanon on Saturday. Iran set preconditions for talks about fighting in Lebanon and economic sanctions. And American leaders postured about Iran’s lack of leverage after weeks of war destroyed the country’s military and economic infrastructure and killed its top leaders.
Unsettled and uncertain: What the Iran war means around the world as US and Iran enter talks
The long-term fallout of the war in Iran is only beginning to take shape, but this much is clear: The conflict has left the Middle East unsettled, alliances strained and the world facing uncertain shifts in the balance of economic and military power. Iran’s theocracy is tattered but alive, with new economic leverage. The U.S. and Israel will hold elections this year, their leaders potentially facing voters having fallen short of their war aims. The NATO alliance, already strained, is under even more pressure. The Gulf Arab states face an emboldened Iran in their backyard.
The Latest: Vance arrives in Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials to shore up shaky ceasefire
A U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials aimed at shoring up a shaky ceasefire and paving the way for a permanent end to the fighting. It marks the first such meeting since the war began more than a month ago. The ceasefire brokered by Pakistan still faces hurdles in the talks beginning Saturday, as Israel and Hezbollah militants have been trading fire along the border of southern Lebanon and Iran has set conditions before negotiations can begin. The Iranian delegation arrived early Saturday in Islamabad, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.
