- By Surarika Das
- Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:37 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
US Vice President JD Vance may visit Pakistan this week to discuss ways to end the war in the Middle East. The decision comes as Iranian representatives refused to discuss peace talks with the US's Middle East representative Steve Witkoff or Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, claiming that it would be a move to deceive Iran while preparing for war, secretly, the Guardian reported.
According to Pakistani officials, the US and Iran could meet for negotiations in Islamabad as early as this week to discuss an end to the war, which started on February 28.
While reports revealed that Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, would initiate the peace talks representing Tehran. Ghalibaf has dismissed any such discussions on receiving peace as "fake news."
According to the White House, Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir had a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Sunday to discuss the war and peace talks.
Following this, Sharif also talked to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday. In an official readout, Sharif mentioned that they "agreed to de-escalate, dialogue, and diplomacy" in West Asia.
Pakistan has not yet to be confirmed as the venue for any talks, which neither side has formally agreed to so far. Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt have been touted as other venues, but sources said Tehran’s preference was Islamabad. Nor has it specified who is going to take part in the discussion.
Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program were still taking place between the US and Iran when Trump began his bombing campaign. The Iranian regime has since viewed those negotiations, fronted by Witkoff and Kushner, as an attempt by the Trump administration to deceive Iran into thinking it wanted a diplomatic solution, while it planned to attack.
Sharing an X post on Tuesday, Sharif claimed, “Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict.”
The US president issued an ultimatum over the weekend, threatening to "obliterate" Iran's oil infrastructure and power plants if they did not reopen the strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route that Iran's military is now blockading. The ultimatum now has a five-day deadline. Oil prices fell drastically to less than 100 dollars per barrel, the lowest in days, after Trump's offer of negotiations helped stimulate markets.