US Vice President JD Vance may attend a proposed peace summit in Islamabad as Pakistan intensifies efforts to facilitate talks between the United States (US) and Iran, Israeli official sources cited by an American media outlet have said. 

 

The proposed meeting is expected to include Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, along with members of the US delegation. The summit is likely to take place later this week in Islamabad.

 

Pakistani Foreign Ministry sources told Anadolu Agency that a US delegation is expected to arrive in Pakistan “in a day or 2” for possible talks, adding that Iran is “still not ready” due to mistrust.

 

The development follows contacts between Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and US President Donald Trump, another media outlet reported, citing two people briefed on the call.

 

Türkiye, Pakistan and Egypt have also passed messages between Washington DC and Tehran over the past two days. 

 

The report said that the foreign ministers of the three countries held separate talks with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

 

“The mediation is ongoing and making progress. The discussion is about ending the war and resolving all outstanding issues. We hope to have answers soon,” a source familiar with the details told Axios.

 

Pakistan has been engaged in back-channel diplomacy alongside Türkiye and Egypt. An official had earlier said that “active back-channel diplomacy” involving Witkoff and Araghchi was aimed at maintaining “quiet communication”.

 

Reports said that coordination between Islamabad, Ankara and Cairo had created a “vital diplomatic conduit” to address the situation.

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to discuss “recent regional developments”.

 

“(They) emphasised the importance of dialogue & diplomacy to promote peace, security, and stability in the region and beyond,” the foreign ministry said on X, adding that both sides agreed to remain in close contact.

 

Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif said that he spoke with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and discussed “the grave situation in the Gulf region”. He said that Pakistan was committed to playing “a constructive role in advancing peace”.

 

Sharif added that both sides agreed on the need for “de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy”.

 

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said that the messages had been received from “some friendly countries indicating a US request for negotiations at ending the war”, according to IRNA. Iran has not formally responded to those messages.

 

Earlier this month, Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Riyadh and met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

 

Islamabad has also condemned the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and conveyed congratulations to his successor Mojtaba Khamenei.