U.S. envoys headed to Pakistan for Iran war talks

U.S. envoys were expected in the Pakistani capital on Saturday to kickstart a new round of peace negotiations with Iran. (AFP)

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U.S. envoys were expected in the Pakistani capital on Saturday to kickstart a new round of peace negotiations with Iran, although Iranian state media said Tehran’s representatives had no immediate plans to hold face-to-face talks.

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Already in Islamabad, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief and a key figure in the country’s mediation efforts, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

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Aragchi, according to a statement from the foreign ministry, thanked Pakistan for its efforts to establish the ceasefire but also “explained our country’s principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran.”

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Sealing a deal to end the Middle East war remains a thorny 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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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would leave for Pakistan on Saturday “to engage in talks… with representatives from the Iranian delegation.”

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“The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation,” Leavitt said, adding that the talks would “hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal.”

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Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance, who led a first round of negotiations in Islamabad two weeks ago, would not be joining for the time being, but was on “standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary.”

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It remained unclear, however, whether the Iranian side would meet directly with the U.S. envoys.

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Iranian state television said that Araghchi had no plans to meet with the Americans, and that Islamabad would serve as a bridge to “convey” Iranian proposals.

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Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Araghchi had arrived in Islamabad to discuss “ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability” with Pakistani officials, without directly referencing talks with Witkoff and Kushner.

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An Iranian spokesman said Araghchi would later visit Oman and Russia to discuss efforts to end the war, which was launched against Iran by Israel and the United States on February 28.

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Opening Hormuz ‘vital’

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Iran’s military, meanwhile, remained defiant on Saturday.

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In a statement carried by state media, the military’s central command said that if “the invading US military continues blockading, banditry, and piracy in the region, they should be certain that they will face a response from Iran’s powerful armed forces.”

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Since the last round of talks, efforts to bring the two sides back to the table have hit an impasse, with Iran refusing to participate as long as a US naval blockade on its ports remains in place.