The White House said U.S. and Iranian officials have met face-to-face to negotiate an end to the war, the first peace talks between the two nations in 47 years.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is hosting the talks, led by Vice President JD Vance for the United States and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad B. Ghalibaf for Iran. The talks between the U.S. and Iran are also the first direct negotiations since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February.
The core U.S. delegation also includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Iran’s delegation also includes Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi.
As talks began Saturday, President Donald Trump said in a social media post that the U.S. is “clearing out” the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel through which a large amount of the world’s oil commerce flows. Traffic through the channel has been a key point of contention during ceasefire negotiations.
At least 13 U.S. service members have been killed in the war, which began when the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran in late February. Hundreds of U.S. military members have been injured. A top Iranian medical official cited by FOX Newssaid more than 3,000 people had been in killed in Iran.
Iranian leaders want U.S. officials to affirm that the recently announced ceasefire includes Lebanon, where Iran’s ally Hezbollah faces heavy bombardments from Israel. They also want the U.S. to unfreeze sanctioned Iranian assets.
“Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations,” said Gahlibaf in a statement Friday before traveling. “These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin.”
Direct negotiations between the two sides mark a significant step forward to end the war that began Feb. 28 when President Donald Trump and ally Israel launched strikes on Iran in an effort, they said, to eliminate the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Thousands of Iranians have died under U.S. and Israeli strikes but the Islamic republic has managed to leverage control over the Strait of Hormuz to drive up fuel prices around the world and tank the war’s popularity among Americans.
Jeanine Santucci and Lauren Villagran
The U.S. military said on Saturday it has begun “setting conditions” for clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz, and two Navy ships have passed through. U.S. forces, including underwater drones, will work on clearing the strait in the coming days, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
The USS Frank E. Peterson and USS Michael Murphy transited the strait “as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines,” CENTCOM said.
“Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM.
Iran dropped explosive mines haphazardly in the Strait of Hormuz, raising challenges on clearing them. Naval mines are among the simplest and cheapest weapons in Iran’s arsenal, according to the Stimson Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. They’re also the most disruptive.
President Donald Trump said earlier Saturday in a post on Truth Social, “The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship may ‘bunk’ into one of their sea mines… .” Trump said the United States was starting the process of “clearing” the strait.
Jeanine Santucci
President Donald Trump on Saturday, as peace talks were underway between U.S. and Iranian leaders in Pakistan, said the Strait of Hormuz will “soon be open.”
“The Strait of Hormuz will soon be open, and the empty ships are rushing to the United States to ‘load up,'” he said on his platform Truth Social.
Earlier, Trump said the United States was in the process of “clearing out” the strait. Trump and other officials haven’t revealed any specific timeline or details of the reopening. Iran’s blockage of the strait has become a major sticking point for peace negotiations between the countries.
Lauren Villagran
Vice President JD Vance is meeting face-to-face with Iranian officials, as Pakistan hosts the first direct peace talks between the two nations since Iran’s 1979 revolution.
The White House confirmed via email on April 11 that the U.S., Iran and Pakistan are holding a trilateral meeting, face to face.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf is his country’s top negotiator. The office of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier confirmed via social media that he had met with both Vance and Ghalibaf.
Lauren Villagran
The U.S. hasn’t agreed to release Iran’s frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, according to a senior U.S. official.
In a social media post, Iran’s top negotiator in Pakistan, Speaker of Parliament Mohammad B. Ghalibaf, demanded the release of Iran’s blocked assets before negotiations could begin.
The U.S. official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said reports of assets being released were false.
Jeanine Santucci
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday that the United States has terminated green card status for relatives of Masoumeh Ebtekar, a former vice president in Iran and known internationally as “Screaming Mary” or “Sister Mary” since the 1979 hostage crisis.
Ebtekar was the English-speaking spokesperson for the Iranian students who held American hostages in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran for 444 days. She recently served as a vice president for women and family affairs in Iran.
Rubio said Saturday that green cards for her son, Eissa Hashemi, his wife Maryam Tahmasebi and their son were terminated and that they were arrested. They are in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending their removal from the United States, where they were previously lawful permanent residents, Rubio said.
“The Trump administration will never allow America to become a home for foreign nationals tied to anti-American terrorist regimes,” the State Department said in a statement.
Lauren Villagran
In a social media post, President Donald Trump said the U.S. is “clearing out” the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel through which a large amount of the world’s oil commerce flows.
“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the world…” Trump wrote on his Truth Social.
Iran’s closure of the strait has choked the global market for crude oil, driving up gasoline prices in the United States. USA TODAY reached out to the White House for comment.
Lauren Villagran
With the global oil market still squeezed by supply, President Donald Trump made a pitch for “sweet” American crude oil.
“Massive numbers of completely empty oil tankers, some of the largest anywhere in the World, are heading, right now, to the United States to load up with the best and ‘sweetest’ oil (and gas!) anywhere in the World,” he said April 11 on his Truth Social platform.
The U.S. has long been a seller on the world market. In 2023, the United States exported about 4 million barrels per day of crude oil globally, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Lauren Villagran
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif confirmed he has met with the Iranian delegation, after meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
In a social media poston X, the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Sharif met with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian Parliament on April 11. The post followed one about Sharif’s sidelines meeting with Vance.
Pakistan is working as a go-between, facilitating peace talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Michael Loria
Diplomats from Israel and Lebanon will meet in Washington, D.C., “to discuss ceasefire negotiations,” the State Department said in a statement to USA TODAY.
The department’s confirmation of upcoming talks comes after the office of Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun announced the talks will take place Tuesday in Washington. The State Department declined to confirm whether talks will begin Tuesday.
According to Aoun’s office, the scheduling of upcoming talks comes after a three-way call Friday between Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.S., Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. and the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.