Both the US and Iran on Friday gave conflicting statements on the status of possible peace talks, as Pakistan tries to get the second round of talks off the ground.
The first round of talks in Islamabad led by US Vice President JD Vance two weeks ago ended after 21 hours with no progress towards an agreement. Since then, US President Donald Trump has said that the ceasefire will be extended indefinitely, although threats towards Tehran will continue.
However, without a deal, the global economy remains at risk, as passage of goods, oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted by both the threat of Iranian attacks and the US blockade on Iran-aligned shipping.
White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt told reporters on Friday that US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will visit Pakistan on Saturday “to engage in talks with representatives of the Iranian delegation.”
“We have certainly seen some progress from the Iranian side in the last few days,” he said. Leavitt did not provide any details about what American officials were hearing.
“The Iranians reached out, as the President asked them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation,” Leavitt said, adding that the talks “hopefully will get the ball moving toward an agreement.”
Later, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had arrived in Islamabad, but ruled out a direct meeting with US envoys.
Instead, the Foreign Ministry said Araghchi would apprise Pakistan of Iran’s “comments”.