Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir on Saturday (local time), the Iranian Embassy in Pakistan announced on X.
The development comes a day after Iran’s state media IRNA reported Araghchi’s visit to Pakistan, renewing hopes for an end to the conflict. However, a senior Iranian official said his government representatives had no plans to meet senior US negotiators heading to Pakistan for talks.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a post dated X early Saturday (IST): “There is no planned meeting between Iran and the United States where Iran’s observations will be passed on to Pakistan.”
Here are the main developments in the US-Iran talks:
1. Baqaei added in his post: “We are coming to Islamabad, Pakistan for an official visit. FM Araghchi will meet with Pakistani senior officials in agreement with their ongoing mediation and good offices to end the American-initiated war of aggression and restore peace in our region.”
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2. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday (local time) that a US delegation consisting of special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Saturday morning to engage in “direct talks” with their Iranian counterparts. In an interview with Fox News, Leavitt said, “The Iranians have turned around,” adding that Islamic Republic officials had sought a one-on-one meeting as requested by U.S. President Donald Trump. Leavitt went on to note, “So the president is sending Steve and Jared to go hear what they have to say, and hopefully that will be a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forward toward a deal.” Vice President JD Vance, who earlier led the first round of talks on April 11 and 12, is said to be on standby and will travel to Islamabad once the talks progress.
3. In a phone call with Reuters on Friday, Trump noted that Tehran “will make an offer,” adding that he did not yet know what it would be and “we’ll have to see.”
4. Earlier this week, Trump told the New York Post that a breakthrough in the talks was “possible,” adding that some “good news” regarding peace talks with Iran could come as early as Friday. However, shortly after Trump’s remarks were published, Iran’s Tasnim news agency dismissed the claims, adding that Tehran had no plans to send a delegation to Islamabad.
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5. Uncertainty in talks persists even after the first round of talks has failed. The 21-hour talks ended without a deal, after which Trump imposed a naval blockade of Tehran, a move that prompted the Islamic Republic to retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz again in less than 24 hours and not sending a delegation to Islamabad to negotiate with Washington.
6. In an interview with Reuters, Trump reiterated that the naval blockade will end only after an agreement is reached with Iran. Tehran, on the other hand, noted that the Iranian delegation would come to the negotiating table and reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the blockade is lifted.
7. On April 21, Trump announced that the ceasefire was being extended indefinitely. The US president said the decision followed a request from Pakistan’s leadership and cited internal divisions in Iran as a factor behind the suspension of military action. “On the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, we were asked to carry out our attack on Iran,” he said. In addition, he noted that Iran’s internal political situation also influenced the decision, describing the government as “seriously fractured”.
But the question remains whether an Iranian delegation will be in Islamabad when Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Pakistan.
Key things
- Current US-Iran talks are on hold, with no immediate plans for a meeting.
- Iran is waiting for the lifting of the naval blockade imposed by the United States before the start of negotiations.
- The political landscape in Iran appears to be fragmented, complicating negotiations.
