• Vance warns Iran against trying to “play” Washington.
• Trump voices displeasure at Iran’s handling of Strait of Hormuz.
• Iran’s nuclear enrichment will be part of talks: official sources.

ISLAMABAD: US Vice President JD Vance warned Iran on Friday against trying to “play” Washington, as he set off for talks in Islamabad aimed at transforming a fragile ceasefire into a lasting peace deal.

Despite the temporary truce struck between the foes, deep disagreements remain as to the way forward, and both sides have accused the other of failing to properly implement the current agreement.

“If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand,” Vance told reporters before taking off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

But “if they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive”, he said.

Since the ceasefire took effect, US President Donald Trump has voiced displeasure at Iran’s handling of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which was meant to be reopened, while Tehran has reacted angrily to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, insisting that it too falls under the agreement.

Official sources say the talks in Islamabad will cover several sensitive points, including Iran’s nuclear enrichment and the free flow of trade through the strait.

Late Friday evening, all routes leading to the Serena Hotel, the expected venue, were blocked off with heavy security, while a large banner and digital signs along the expressway heralded the “Islamabad Talks”.

Iran has suggested that its participation could hinge on a halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon: “The holding of talks to end the war is dependent on the US adhering to its ceasefire commitments on all fronts, especially in Lebanon,” said Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson.

Iranian officials have said the Israeli strikes had rendered the Pakistan talks “meaningless”.

Nevertheless, Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards signalled they were committing to the ceasefire and had “not launched anything at any country”, according to the state broadcaster.

In a barrage of social media posts that sparked fears for the shaky truce, Trump on Thursday accused Iran of doing a “very poor job” of allowing oil through the Strait of Hormuz and of breaching the terms of their ceasefire agreement.

But Vance, who is leading the US delegation alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, told reporters: “We’re going to try to have a positive negotiation.”

US Vice President JD Vance said on Friday he was hopeful of a “positive” outcome as he departed Washington to lead American negotiations with Iran in Pakistan. “We’re going to try to have a positive negotiation,” Vance told reporters before boarding his flight at Joint Base Andrews.

“If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive.”

Earlier, the White House said that Vance will head the US delegation in talks beginning Saturday in Islamabad, acting on directives from President Donald Trump.

The talks are seen as a critical step towards preventing renewed conflict after weeks of escalating hostilities.

According to officials, the US delegation will also include senior figures such as envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, underlining the importance Washington attaches to the negotiations.

Pakistan is hosting the dialogue as part of its broader mediation effort, having played a key role in brokering a temporary ceasefire between the two sides. The talks are widely viewed as high-stakes, with the outcome likely to shape regional stability and global energy markets.

Vance, speaking before departure, expressed optimism about the negotiations, saying the United States was seeking “constructive engagement” and remained hopeful of positive outcomes.

He added that clear guidance had been provided by President Donald Trump for the talks.

Diplomatic sources say the negotiations will address key issues, including ceasefire compliance, regional security concerns, and Iran’s nuclear programme, though significant differences remain between the parties.

Analysts note that Pakistan’s role has evolved into that of an active mediator, bringing both sides to the table despite deep mistrust.

However, they caution that the process remains fragile, with risks of derailment from regional actors and unresolved disputes.

The Islamabad talks mark one of the most significant direct engagements between the United States and Iran in decades, raising cautious hopes for a broader de-escalation in the region.

• Taiwan opposition leader in China for ‘peace’ mission.
• Cheng meets China’s Xi at Great Hall of the People.
• Cheng is party’s first leader to visit China in a decade.
  

China’s President Xi Jinping met Taiwan’s opposition party leader Cheng Li-wun in Beijing on Friday, telling the visiting delegation he had “full confidence” that Taiwanese and Chinese people would be united.

Kuomintang (KMT) chairwoman Cheng is the party’s first leader to visit China in a decade.

Xi told Cheng, as the two met on Friday, that “the general trend of compatriots on both sides of the Strait getting closer, edging nearer and becoming united will not change”.

“This is an inevitable part of history. We have full confidence in this,” Xi said during the talks carried by Taiwanese media.

He also said China was willing to strengthen dialogue with groups in Taiwan, including the KMT, on the “common political foundation of… opposing Taiwan independence”.

Earlier, she told Xi that the Taiwan Strait would “no longer be a focal point of potential conflict” and “both sides should transcend political confrontation”.

She also said Xi had responded “positively” to her proposal that the sides work toward Taiwan participating in international organisations such as Interpol and regional trade agreements.

Taiwanese lawmakers have been at loggerheads over the government’s plan to spend NT$1.25 trillion ($39 billion) on defence, which has been stalled for months in parliament, controlled by opposition parties including the KMT.

Defence spending

Cheng’s trip comes a month before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing for a summit with Xi.

The United States has been piling pressure on Taiwanese opposition lawmakers to back a proposal for defence purchases, including US weapons.

Cheng has railed against the government´s proposal, insisting “Taiwan isn’t an ATM” and instead backing a KMT plan to allocate NT$380 billion ($12 billion) for US weapons with the option for more acquisitions.

While KMT party members regularly fly to China for exchanges with officials, its last leader to visit was Hung Hsiu-chu in 2016.

Cross-strait relations have worsened in particular since the election of Tsai´s successor, Lai Ching-te, who Beijing considers a separatist.

Cheng landed in Shanghai on Tuesday evening, saying shortly after her arrival that “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not doomed to war, as the international community has feared”.

The KMT leader also travelled to the eastern city of Nanjing, where she visited the mausoleum of revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen, one of the few Chinese historical figures revered in both Beijing and Taipei.