The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing sources, that American negotiators intend to demand the release of Americans detained in Iran as part of upcoming talks aimed at ending the war. In return, Iran demands the release of frozen Iranian assets and a ceasefire in Lebanon as conditions for the scheduled talks in Pakistan on Saturday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Friday that the talks scheduled for Saturday in Islamabad between Washington and Tehran are critical. Sharif added: "The current phase may fail to reach a permanent ceasefire," and said the American and Iranian delegations will hold talks in Islamabad on Saturday. Vance travels to Pakistan. Earlier on Friday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance expressed hope for a "positive" outcome in the upcoming negotiations with Iran as he headed to Islamabad on Friday, while Tehran has yet to announce the arrival of its delegation or its composition. Vance's departure came after divergent statements from both sides regarding the arrival of delegations in the Pakistani capital and accusations from U.S. President Donald Trump that Tehran is not respecting the agreement reached this week with Pakistani mediation. Vance told reporters before his plane departed from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington: "We will try to have positive negotiations." He added: "If the Iranians are ready to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly ready to extend a hand, if they try to play us, they will find that the negotiating team will not welcome that." Vance is accompanied by Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the White House said. A ceasefire agreement between Tehran on one side and Washington and Israel on the other has been in effect since Wednesday night for two weeks after a war that lasted about forty days and erupted after a U.S.-Israeli attack on February 28. What about Tehran's delegation? Uncertainty still surrounds Tehran's delegation after Iranian officials warned they would not participate in the talks unless the ceasefire in Lebanon is included, where Israel is at war with Hezbollah, and on Wednesday carried out widespread airstrikes that killed at least 300 people.
