White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan on Saturday morning for another round of talks with Iranian representatives.
Leavitt said the discussions will be direct but facilitated by Pakistani intermediaries, whom she described as “incredible friends” throughout the negotiation process. According to Leavitt, Iranian officials requested the in-person meeting after President Donald Trump publicly called for talks.
“The president is dispatching Steve and Jared to go hear what they have to say,” Leavitt said. “We’re hopeful that it will be a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forward toward a deal.”
The announcement comes as a second round of negotiations has yet to take place following lengthy talks earlier this month, which ended without an agreement after Iranian officials refused to concede on key aspects of their nuclear program.
Vice President JD Vance, who led the previous round of discussions, said at the time that the United States had presented what he described as its “final and best offer,” but Tehran declined to accept the terms.
According to CNN, Vance is not expected to attend this latest round of talks because Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament and a senior figure seen by White House officials as leading Tehran’s delegation, is also not participating. Vance is expected to remain on standby and could travel to Islamabad if negotiations show signs of progress.
Despite not making a deal, Trump extended the two-week long ceasefire without an agreement while waiting for what he called a “unified” response from the Iranian government.
“President Trump has made his red lines throughout this entire process very clear. He was flexible in extending the ceasefire, and so Steve and Jared will be off,” Leavitt said.
The diplomatic push comes as Iran’s internal power structure appears increasingly unstable under the son and successor to former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
The new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is reportedly recovering from severe injuries and has been largely sidelined from day-to-day governance while hardline military generals are holding significant power, according to a report from The New York Times.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed he is traveling to Islamabad as part of a broader “timely tour” that will also include stops in Muscat and Moscow. He said the purpose of the trip is to coordinate with regional partners and consult on ongoing developments.
The diplomatic push comes as Trump said Thursday he is in no rush to reach a deal.
“For those people, fewer in number now than ever before, that are reading The Failing New York Times, or watching Fake News CNN, that think that I am ‘anxious’ to end the War (if you would even call it that!) with Iran, please be advised that I am possibly the least pressured person ever to be in this position. I have all the time in the World, but Iran doesn’t — The clock is ticking!” Trump said.
Trump also pointed to what he described as Iran’s deteriorating military position and the impact of the ongoing U.S. blockade, arguing that leverage remains firmly in Washington’s hands as negotiations continue.
“Iran’s Navy is lying at the bottom of the Sea, their Air Force is demolished, their Anti Aircraft and Radar Weaponry is gone, their leaders are no longer with us, the Blockade is airtight and strong and, from there, it only gets worse — Time is not on their side!” he added.
