The White House said that delegations from the United States, Iran and Pakistan are holding face-to-face meetings on Saturday.

The start of the meeting represents a significant test as to whether the ceasefire, which has already shown strains, is durable enough to resolve the Iran war.

President Donald Trump ahead of the meeting has engaged in social media posts, suggesting that the US energy sector will benefit from Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.

Energy prices have risen sharply since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February, with the stated goals of stopping its development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

Vice President JD Vance is leading the US delegation, along with Steve Witkoff, the special envoy, and Jared Kushner, who is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

Who are the US officials taking part in the talks?

The White House provided a list of the US officials involved in negotiations for ending the Iran war, including Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

Also participating are Andrew Baker, the national security adviser to the vice president, and Michael Vance, the special adviser to the vice president for Asian affairs.

What are the most difficult topics to deal with?

Foremost among the tough topics is Iran’s nuclear program, especially the status of its enriched uranium after last year’s US and Israeli strikes on nuclear sites. Tehran has not allowed the UN nuclear watchdog to inspect since then.

Before the war, Iran’s ballistic missile program was another main issue, especially for Israel, along with Iran’s support for armed proxies in the Middle East including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza.

Now other issues have emerged, notably Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, a major waterway for Middle East oil, natural gas and related products like fertilizer.

Iran now wants an end to attacks, compensation for earlier ones and a guarantee that no more will occur. It wants US military forces to leave the region.

Tehran also wants longtime sanctions lifted.