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Iran's state news agency IRNA reported Friday that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, traveling to Pakistan for bilateral consultations, would not hold any meeting with the American delegation in Islamabad. The White House confirmed the same day it was dispatching two senior envoys to the Pakistani capital for direct talks with the Iranian side.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner would depart for Pakistan Saturday morning. "The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and requested the in-person conversation," Leavitt said. Iran had not publicly commented on the White House announcement by Friday.
IRNA said Araghchi's trip was limited to consultations with Pakistani officials on bilateral and regional matters. After Islamabad, he was scheduled to travel to Oman and then Moscow. Iranian state media made no reference to any planned engagement with the American delegation.
Earlier Friday, Araghchi spoke by phone with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Pakistan's foreign ministry said both sides discussed regional developments, the ceasefire and ongoing diplomatic efforts, and underscored the importance of sustained dialogue.
The push for a second round follows the first round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which ended without an agreement after 21 hours of negotiation.
The main unresolved issues included Iran's nuclear program, the status of the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief and frozen assets. Trump imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports on April 13, two days after those talks concluded. Tehran had since insisted the blockade be lifted before negotiations could resume. Trump refused.
Vice President JD Vance is not expected to attend the current round. White House officials said Vance's counterpart in the first round, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, was not participating in this visit. Vance will remain on standby, with members of his staff present in Islamabad. A US logistics and security team was already in the city ahead of Araghchi's expected arrival Friday night.
A Pakistani official told the Associated Press that the high-level American delegation would likely arrive Saturday, contingent on a preliminary understanding being reached with the Iranian side.
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