Islamabad prepares to host historic negotiations between Iran and the US

In Pakistan’s capital, the army has been deployed, a public holiday has been declared and the streets are eerily empty

• Middle East crisis – live updates

The streets of Islamabad were on strict lockdown as Pakistan’s capital prepared to play host to historic negotiations between Iran and the US that have dangled the promise of an end to war that has devastated the Middle East.

Even as the US-Iran ceasefire looked increasingly precarious, amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon and disputes over the terms of the talks, Pakistani officials insisted that the make-or-break peace negotiations would be going ahead over the weekend as planned.