Two Iranian aircraft have been tracked in Iranian airspace on April 21 heading east towards Pakistan, in what appeared to be the delegation flight for the second round of Pakistan-brokered talks with the United States, IntelliNews has established.

Live flight tracking data showed the two planes as the only aircraft over Iran at the time, both operated by Iranian carriers and on an easterly trajectory consistent with routes to Islamabad.

Tracking data for one of the jets was switched off mid-flight, suggesting the flight from the Kish free trade zone was looking to keep a low profile. 

The movement coincides with the arrival in Pakistan of US Vice President JD Vance for talks, alongside White House advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

A Pakistani source involved in the discussions told Reuters on April 21 that the talks were on track for April 22 and that US President Donald Trump could attend in person or virtually if a deal were to be signed.

The two-week ceasefire between the US-Israeli coalition and Iran expires the same day.

Axios reported that Iran's participation had allegedly been approved by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on the evening of April 20, after a day during which the White House waited for a signal from Tehran; IntelliNews could not verify this claim with Iranian sources. 

Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since succeeding his father. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening strikes of the war on February 28. Mojtaba is believed to have been seriously wounded in the same attack.

Iranian state-aligned media, including Tasnim News Agency, had earlier maintained that no second round would take place until the US naval blockade was lifted.

Outstanding issues between the two sides include the duration of any Iranian uranium enrichment suspension. Washington has proposed a 20-year halt, while Tehran has offered three to five years.

Iran has demanded that sanctions be lifted, while the US has pressed for highly enriched uranium to be removed from Iranian territory.

Iran reopened six airports including Tehran's Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini International, Mashhad, Birjand, Gorgan and Zahedan on April 18. Mahan Air has resumed scheduled international services to Dubai, Lahore, Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai and Sulaimaniyah, though foreign carriers have not returned to overflying Iran given the US naval blockade, the expiry of the ceasefire and escalatory threats from Trump including recent calls for regime change.

The persistence of foreign carrier avoidance, even as Iranian aircraft appear to be transporting negotiators, underlines the acute uncertainty over whether the Islamabad talks will produce a deal.