Trump sends Witkoff, Kushner to Pakistan for fresh peace talks with Iran's foreign minister
A U.S. delegation will travel to Pakistan this weekend for high-stakes ceasefire talks with Iran's foreign minister, as Islamabad continues its role as a key mediator between the two sides.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Friday that special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will head to Islamabad to meet with Iranian officials.
“They want to talk in person. And so the president, as I’ve said many, many times to all of you, [is] always willing to give diplomacy a chance,” she told reporters. “So, Steve, Jared will be heading to Pakistan tomorrow to hear the Iranians out. We hope progress will be made and we hope that positive developments will come from this meeting.”
Leavitt added that Vice President JD Vance is on standby to travel to Pakistan if Trump determines it is necessary.
Iran’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, is expected in Pakistan on Friday for what Tehran described as “bilateral consultations." Araghchi wrote on X that he was on his way to Pakistan, Oman and Russia, on a trip focused on “bilateral matters and regional developments.”
The renewed diplomatic push comes after talks failed to materialize on Tuesday. Trump subsequently announced the U.S. would extend its ceasefire indefinitely, a decision he said came at the request of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so, and upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our attack on the country of Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said the ceasefire would remain in place until Iran’s leaders present a unified proposal.
The decision comes as the U.S. military continues its blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has also ordered forces to “shoot and kill” small boats suspected of laying mines.
The strategic waterway—a vital global shipping route—has been disrupted since the conflict began in late February. Iran has maintained pressure on traffic through the strait, attacking three ships earlier this week.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that the U.S. campaign against Iran has delivered “rapid and decisive results” and is entering a new phase aimed at forcing Tehran to negotiate, as the conflict approaches the eight-week mark.
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