JD Vance hopes for 'positive' outcome as he departs for US-Iran talks in Islamabad

US Vice President JD Vance said Friday he hoped for a "positive" outcome as he departed Washington for US-Iran peace talks being held in Pakistan.

"We're going to try to have a positive negotiation," he told reporters before take-off from Joint Base Andrews. "If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive."

JD Vance walks to board Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews, for expected departure to Pakistan, for talks on Iran. AP

He cited President Donald Trump in saying, "If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand." But he added, "If they're gonna try and play us, then they're gonna find that the negotiating team is not that receptive."

Vance also said that Trump "gave us some pretty clear guidelines" on how talks should go, but he didn't elaborate. He did not take questions from reporters traveling with him.

Vance's trip comes as a tenuous, temporary ceasefire appears to be on the precipice of collapsing.

Vance is joined by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who took part in three rounds of indirect talks with Iranian negotiators aimed at settling US concerns about Tehran's nuclear and ballistic weapons programs and its support for armed proxy groups in the Middle East before Trump and Israel launched the Feb. 28 war against Iran.

JD Vance walks to speak to the media before boarding Air Force Two for expected departure to Pakistan for talks on Iran, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Friday. Reuters

Pakistan is set to host what could prove to be one of the most consequential diplomatic engagements in recent history, as senior leaders from the US and Iran arrive in Islamabad for high-stakes negotiations following a devastating six-week war that has left thousands dead and pushed the global economy to the brink of recession.

A helicopter flies over the Red Zone area in Islamabad. AFP

The American delegation will be led by Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by President Donald Trump's key Middle East envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. On the Iranian side, Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is expected to head the delegation, alongside Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials.

Army personnel patrol at the Red Zone area in Islamabad. AFP

Islamabad has effectively been placed under an unprecedented security lockdown ahead of the talks. Key routes have been sealed, security personnel heavily deployed, and surveillance heightened to ensure the safety of visiting dignitaries. Officials say the negotiations will take place at a secure, undisclosed location, away from the media spotlight.

Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator in the region.

Agencies