As a fragile “ceasefire” nears its end, Washington and Tehran send veteran insiders to Pakistan.

Negotiators from the United States have arrived in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, for a second round of talks with Iran aimed at extending a two-week ceasefire which is set to expire on Wednesday. The diplomatic efforts are unfolding amid sharp military escalation, hours after the US Navy intercepted and seized the Touska, a 274 metre-long [900 feet], Iranian-flagged container ship in the Gulf of Oman.

The negotiations follow a period of heightened rhetoric, with US President Donald Trump threatening to destroy Iran and wipe out power plants and civilian infrastructure if a deal is not reached. Tehran has labelled the ship’s seizure “piracy” and has expressed uncertainty regarding its participation in the sessions while the naval blockade remains.

The current diplomatic track predates the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran, which began on February 28. While some figures at the table led indirect talks before the conflict, another key Iranian negotiator has been permanently silenced.

The absent negotiator

Just weeks before the war broke out, Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was engaged in indirect negotiations with Washington, mediated by Oman. Born in 1958, Larijani was widely viewed as the pragmatic face of the Iranian establishment. A mathematician and philosopher who wrote his university thesis on Immanuel Kant, he served as the country’s chief nuclear negotiator and was a bridge between the security apparatus and the political establishment. He was killed in an Israeli air attack in early March, removing one of Tehran’s most experienced strategic minds from the current diplomatic equation.

The US delegation

• JD Vance: The 41-year-old US vice president has been tapped to lead the American delegation, having previously led the first round of talks in Islamabad on April 11. Born in August 1984, Vance is a former Marine and Yale Law School graduate who served in Iraq before entering politics. Once a fierce critic of US President Donald Trump, he has evolved into a staunch loyalist known for his unwavering support for Israel and his advocacy for an “America First” foreign policy.
• Jared Kushner: Trump’s 45-year-old son-in-law currently holds no official government title but remains a highly influential, unofficial player in US foreign policy. Kushner, who built his wealth in real estate, co-led indirect negotiations with Iran in Oman early in 2026, just before the conflict erupted. He previously served as a senior adviser in the White House, where he was a primary architect of the Abraham Accords and recently participated in ceasefire negotiations for Gaza.
• Steve Witkoff: The 69-year-old US Special Envoy to the Middle East is a New York real estate investor and a long-time golfing companion of Trump. Witkoff partnered with Kushner to spearhead the pre-war backchannel talks with Tehran, giving him crucial prior experience with the Iranian delegation. He has been described by Trump as an “unrelenting voice for peace”.

The Iranian delegation

• Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf: Iran’s 64-year-old parliament speaker led Tehran’s team during the first round of talks and is a conservative political heavyweight. Born in August 1961, Ghalibaf has a deep military and security background, having served as the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force, national police chief and mayor of Tehran.
• Abbas Araghchi: Iran’s 63-year-old foreign minister is a veteran pragmatist and academic holding a doctorate from the United Kingdom’s University of Kent. Born in December 1962, Araghchi is best known as the chief negotiator who successfully navigated the complex technical talks leading to the 2015 landmark nuclear deal. He has served under both reformist and conservative administrations, establishing a reputation as one of Tehran’s most skilled diplomats.

As the Wednesday deadline nears, the prospect of a lasting agreement remains deeply uncertain. Millions of people, in the Gulf and beyond, are watching how the talks play out. They also fear the escalation that could follow if Iran and the US do not reach a peace deal, and how the prospects of a prolonged conflict directly impacts their daily lives.