ISLAMABAD: The United States’ Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is reportedly in Islamabad to negotiate with Iranian officials, according to a US based news outlet Dropsite.
The outlet run by veteran investigative journalists Ryan Grim, Jeremy Scahill and Nausicaa Renner, cited diplomatic sources suggesting that US and Iran could meet in Islamabad as early as this week to discuss a potential resolution to the conflict, which began on 28 February this year.
Neither Pakistan’s Foreign Office, nor the Iranian Embassy in Islamabad has officially confirmed that the city will host negotiations, and no formal agreement on talks has been reached.
A senior Iranian diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, described talks as a “dim possibility”, with Islamabad potentially serving as one of several possible venues.
“We are waiting for official details from our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nothing official yet,” the diplomat told Business Recorder. He noted that there is deep mistrust towards the United States, citing prior strikes during negotiations.
READ ALSO: Iran denies talks with US after Trump postpones strikes on power grid
“There is zero trust after two rounds of strikes amidst talks. With bullying and totalitarian rhetoric, there’s no chance. Iran regards the US request for negotiations as another attempt at deception to find loopholes and exploit them to aggravate attacks,” he said. Regarding reports of Witkoff’s arrival, the diplomat added: “I have no information regarding the other side’s delegation. As for our delegation, we haven’t received anything yet.” Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the country is prepared to host talks between Washington and Tehran.
“If the parties desire, Islamabad is always willing to host talks,” a senior official told Business Recorder. “Pakistan has consistently advocated for dialogue and diplomacy to promote peace and stability in the region.” The official declined to comment on reports of Witkoff’s presence in the capital.
The US embassy in Islamabad did not respond to requests for comment before the filing of this report.
According to Dropsite, Pakistani sources suggest that US Vice-President JD Vance is being considered as a potential lead negotiator, rather than Witkoff or Jared Kushner, former Middle East envoy and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, who previously led nuclear negotiations with Iran. Vance is reportedly sceptical of US airstrikes on Iran and has largely refrained from public comment on the conflict.
Dropsite also cited sources saying Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, is the most likely candidate to lead Iranian negotiators, although he has publicly dismissed reports of talks as “fake news.”
An Iranian diplomatic source stated that Tehran maintains “zero trust” in Washington and would not accept Witkoff or Kushner as negotiators, viewing Vance as a potentially more acceptable interlocutor.
On Monday, US President Trump suggested a possible halt to US strikes, saying discussions with Iranian officials had been “very, very strong” and that there were “almost all points of agreement.”
Iran has denied that direct talks with the US are underway but said that “certain friendly states” had been relaying messages from Washington. Dropsite reported that Pakistan, Oman, Turkey and Egypt are engaged in diplomatic efforts to end hostilities.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Comments