Pakistan’s hosting of the Islamabad talks represented an important initiative for the country.
Islamabad is a close friend of the White House while also having warm ties with China and Saudi Arabia, making it well-positioned to play a role in regional and global issues.
Pakistan sought to increase its clout through the talks. This is something that shows the country is seeking to take the reins of regional responsibility after many years in which Pakistan seemed consumed with domestic troubles.
The arrival of US Vice President JD Vance for the talks is also important. It shows how he is stepping up in a foreign policy role. It also showed how he was willing to take the reins of these important talks.
Vance had appeared to take a bit of a backseat regarding the conflict with Iran. While some parts of the administration put out strongly worded statements, especially US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Vance was more cautious.
This led some to assume that he may have been more skeptical of the drive to war that led to the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Indeed, Trump’s shift to war with Iran seemed very out of character for an “America first” president who had previously excoriated “neo-cons” and said that he would end wars in the region.
Trump had portrayed previous US involvement in wars in the region as a huge waste. He had also been critical of previous members of his first administration, such as John Bolton, who were viewed as supporting war.
Vance also showed support for Hungary's Orban
Vance arrived in Pakistan after traveling to Hungary to support Victor Orban, who is running for re-election. Vance has become a key player in Iran talks, in part because Iran hinted it did not want another round of talks with only US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Iran believes that it was deceived in the Oman talks in February before the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, believing that those talks were not genuine and were only used by the US to build up military power for a strike.
Iran views those attacks as similar to the Pearl Harbor attack, a sneak attack. However, in contrast to Pearl Harbor, the US did not deliver a declaration of war. Japan actually did draft and intend that such a declaration would be delivered just before its attack.
This is one reason Iran sought to expand the talks. It also appears to have backed away from its earlier strategy of slow-walking negotiations, including its refusal to engage in “direct,” face-to-face discussions with US officials.
Vance left the talks in Islamabad with a very clear statement about how they had not achieved a deal. It was not clear if that means Vance will sit down again with the large Iranian delegation or if this is a one-off.
The White House has other members of the bullpen that it can draw on. It has Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and it can lean back on Kushner and Witkoff, who were in Pakistan for the talks. It’s also possible it could tap into advice from US Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, who is also the US Ambassador to Turkey.
Barrack has proven to be a problem solver for the administration, having dealt with Iraq and Lebanon and recently held talks with Qatar.
Arab News notes that “Pakistan’s foreign minister insisted on Sunday Washington and Tehran must uphold the ceasefire agreement, after marathon talks between the two sides to end the war in the Middle East ended without an agreement.” It adds that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said, “it is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to the ceasefire.”
This is a big test for Pakistan. Can it secure the peace, or will these talks be seen as simply another speedbump on the road to more war? “Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagement and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come,” Dar said.