The Talks That Started at Midnight
Vice President JD Vance began face-to-face negotiations with Iranian officials at 5 p.m. Saturday in Islamabad and stayed past 2 a.m. Sunday, according to a U.S. official who spoke to CBS News. The nine-hour session marks the first direct U.S.–Iran talks since the 1979 embassy crisis. Vance brought Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a luxury hotel ringed by Pakistani troops and police checkpoints. Talks restarted after a brief break and were still ongoing early Sunday.
What Iran Wants Before It Blinks
Iranian state television listed Tehran’s non-negotiables: a Lebanon ceasefire and the release of frozen Iranian assets. Ghalibaf posted on social media that both conditions must be met “before negotiations begin.” A senior U.S. official told CBS News Washington has not agreed to unfreeze any assets and denied reports that $6 billion held by Qatar would be released. The State Department separately announced the arrest of three Iranian green-card holders—Seyed Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi, and their son—after Secretary Marco Rubio revoked their permanent-resident status. Hashemi is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar, the 1979 hostage-crisis spokeswoman known as “Screaming Mary.”
The Fleet That Sailed Under Fire
Two U.S. Navy destroyers entered the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and started mine-clearing operations, Central Command said. Adm. Brad Cooper pledged to publish a safe shipping lane “soon” and promised underwater drones will reinforce the effort within days. Only twelve commercial vessels, three of them oil or chemical tankers, crossed the strait in the first forty-eight hours of the ceasefire, compared with the pre-war average of 129 a day, according to Marine Traffic and UN data. Brent crude settled at $96.98 Friday, down from a wartime peak above $119 but still 38 percent above its late-February level.
The Price an Iowa Farmer Pays
Joe Dierickx, who farms in Iowa, told CBS the cost of farm diesel has jumped from $1.89 a gallon in December to $4.17. Filling his 10,000-gallon storage now costs $41,700, up from $18,900. “We’re not to the ’80s style of unprofitability yet, but we’re getting close,” he said. March inflation hit 3.3 percent, driven by energy prices, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Netanyahu’s Parallel Track With Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lebanon has approached Israel “several times” in the past month seeking direct talks. He set two conditions: dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons and sign a peace accord “that lasts for generations.” Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, confirmed Israeli and Lebanese envoys will meet at the State Department on Tuesday to discuss a ceasefire, but insisted Israel “refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organization.” The Israeli military reported striking 200 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the past day and claimed 180 militants killed in earlier raids; Lebanon’s health ministry put the two-day civilian toll at 357 dead and 1,223 wounded.
What Trump Says While His Team Bargains
President Trump warned China from the White House lawn Saturday not to arm Iran—“China’s going to have big problems”—and wrote on TruthSocial that Iran’s navy and air force are “gone” and its only remaining threat is mines. He also claimed the U.S. has begun “clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to countries all over the world,” adding that empty tankers are “rushing to the United States to LOAD UP.” Trump told the New York Post that U.S. warships are being restocked with “the best ammunition…even better than what we did previously” in case talks collapse. “We’re going to know soon,” he said.
Islamabad’s Bid to Stay Relevant
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif greeted Vance at the airport along with army chief Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Billboards across the capital brand the event “The Islamabad Talks,” and Saudi finance minister Mohammed al-Jadaan arrived Saturday to signal “economic support,” a source told AFP. Cash-strapped Pakistan recently promised to repay $3 billion rolled-over UAE loans and depends on Saudi and IMF bailouts to service debt that consumes half of government revenue.
The Next 24 Hours
Vance told reporters Friday that Trump gave “pretty clear guidelines” and that the U.S. will know within a day whether Iran is “willing to negotiate in good faith.” Iranian negotiator Ghalibaf arrived saying, “We have good intentions but we do not trust,” citing “broken promises” from past talks. No agreements have been announced, and a U.S. official confirmed discussions continued past midnight with only short breaks.
The sources also report that only twelve commercial vessels, including three oil or chemical tankers, crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the first forty-eight hours of the ceasefire, significantly lower than the pre-war average of 129 a day.