White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner would head to Pakistan today “to engage in talks with representatives from the Iranian delegation.”
“The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation,” Ms Leavitt said, adding that the talks would “hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal.”
Ms Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance, who led a first round of negotiations in Islamabad two weeks ago that concluded without a deal, would not be joining for the time being, but was on “standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary.”
It remained unclear late last night whether the Iranian side would meet directly with the US envoys.
Iranian state television said Mr Araghchi has no plans to meet with the Americans and Pakistan would serve as a bridge to “convey” Iranian proposals to end the conflict.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Mr Araghchi had arrived in Islamabad to discuss “ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability” with Pakistani officials, without directly referencing talks with Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner.
Despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Thursday of a three-week ceasefire extension in Lebanon, Israeli strikes in the south of the country killed six people yesterday, the Lebanese health ministry said.
While Mr Trump expressed confidence at the prospect of a lasting peace in Lebanon, sealing a deal to end the wider Middle East war is a thornier proposition, even as urgency mounts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
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