envoys heading to Pakistan

Washington (dpa) — US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are heading to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Friday, amid uncertainty from Tehran.

Leavitt told Fox News that the two advisers to Trump are due to depart on Saturday morning, adding that Tehran had requested the talks. CNN and Axios reported that the envoys are set to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday, but the Iranian Tasnim news agency – which is close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – said no negotiations were planned.

In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that he wanted to coordinate with his Pakistani counterparts.

Pakistani security sources said the Iranian foreign minister intended to discuss a counter-proposal with the mediators as part of the negotiations with the US. Tasnim also reported that Araghchi intended to outline Iran’s positions on ending the war.

The Pakistani sources told dpa that Araghchi would meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir, and said there were no plans for Araghchi to meet any US representatives.

Pakistan has been mediating between the two sides and earlier this month hosted Iranian and US delegations, which included US Vice President JD Vance, for a first round of direct talks aimed at ending the war.

envoys heading to Pakistan

According to CNN, Vance will not accompany Witkoff and Kushner on Saturday because Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf is not taking part in the talks.

The US administration sees Ghalibaf as the head of the Iranian delegation and so as Vance’s counterpart, the report said.

However, Leavitt said Vance was on standby and could travel to Pakistan if the US decides it would be a sensible use of his time.

Following meetings in Pakistan, Araghchi is due to travel on to Oman and Moscow for further consultations on the conflict with the US and Israel, IRNA reported.

Araghchi spoke on the phone with Pakistani mediators earlier on Friday, according to state media. IRNA reported that he spoke separately with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and army chief Asim Munir to discuss “regional developments and topics related to the ceasefire.”

Trump unilaterally extended the ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, without giving a clear timeline on when it would expire.

Washington has signalled it is ready to hold a new round of talks with Iranian negotiators, after the first round of talks failed to produce results.

Iran, however, has so far rejected holding a second round of talks, amid persisting tensions over the Strait of Hormuz and other key issues.