Iranian Negotiators Get Supreme Leader's Green Light to Travel to Islamabad for U.S.-Iran Talks

TEHRAN / ISLAMABAD - In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has granted formal permission for a team of Iranian negotiators to travel to Islamabad for direct or proximity talks with the United States, according to officials familiar with the decision.

The move marks a sharp shift in Tehran's posture just days after warnings from Pakistan that the window for negotiations was closing. The approval, described by insiders as "grudging but strategic," comes amid intensifying regional pressures following the outbreak of war between Iran and the U.S.

Pakistani officials confirmed that Islamabad has offered to host the talks as a neutral mediator, leveraging its unique position as a country with diplomatic channels to both Washington and Tehran. The negotiations are expected to focus on de-escalation, prisoner exchanges, and potential confidence-building measures, though broader issues-including Iran's nuclear program and U.S. sanctions-may also be on the table.

"We have received positive signals from both sides. The Supreme Leader's approval is a critical step. Pakistan will facilitate any format that brings an end to bloodshed and instability," a senior Pakistani foreign ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Iranian delegation is expected to arrive in Islamabad within 48 hours. While the U.S. team has not been officially named, diplomatic sources indicate that American representatives are already en route to the Pakistani capital via a third country.

Analysts view the decision as a calculated gamble by Tehran's supreme leader, who has historically been deeply skeptical of direct engagement with Washington. However, the economic and military toll of the ongoing conflict-compounded by the UAE's recent financial collapse and regional realignments-appears to have forced a tactical reassessment.

"No one should mistake this for a grand compromise. But the fact that the Supreme Leader signed off on Islamabad as the venue-and on talks with the U.S. at all-is extraordinary," said a Tehran-based political commentator. "Pakistan has suddenly become the center of the world's most dangerous diplomatic puzzle."

Neither the White House nor Iran's Foreign Ministry issued immediate official statements. However, a Pakistani government spokesperson confirmed that "logistical and security preparations are underway" to host the talks at a high-security location in the capital.

The international community has reacted with cautious optimism. The United Nations and China both welcomed the development, though European officials warned that "trust remains virtually nonexistent" between the two adversaries.

For now, all eyes are on Islamabad-a city rarely cast as the stage for U.S.-Iranian diplomacy-as the window for negotiations, which Pakistan recently warned was closing, suddenly appears to have reopened.