‘Iran thinks it’s winning’: can US peace talks in Pakistan really end the war?

After four weeks of war with Iran, is Donald Trump calling it
quits? 


The US president claims he is in advanced talks with a highly
placed regime insider on a peace deal that would end Iran’s
nuclear ambitions, reopen the strait of Hormuz, and give the
country’s leadership a reason to make up with the rest of the
Middle East. 


Pakistan and Egypt say they have brokered a meeting between US
Vice President J D Vance and an Iranian delegation in Islamabad
later this week. But who is the mystery Iranian negotiator?
Does Iran have any reason to stop fighting now? And if peace is
about to break out, why is the Iran war on the battlefield
accelerating? 


Meanwhile, amid a bruising war with Israel, Iran’s Lebanese ally
Hezbollah is finding itself increasingly isolated.


Roland Oliphant is joined by David Blair, the Telegraph’s chief
foreign affairs commentator, and Lina Khatib, associate fellow
for the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House.


CONTRIBUTORS:


Roland Oliphant, co-host and chief foreign affairs analyst
@RolandOliphant


David Blair, chief foreign affairs commentator @davidblairdt


Lina Khatib, associate fellow Chatham House @LinaKhatibUK


CONTENT REFERENCED:


Trump may have blinked, but his war of necessity will grind on


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/23/iran-war-no-end-in-sight/


Iran now has a clear path to victory


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/24/iran-now-has-a-clear-pathway-to-victory/


Producer: Elliot Lampitt


Executive Producer: Louisa Wells


Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look
forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest
stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor


EMAIL US: Contact the team on battlelines@telegraph.co.uk 


GET THE LATEST HEADLINES:


Find all our latest Iran coverage here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran-war/


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.