Witkoff and Kushner headed to Pakistan for Iran talks, White House says

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad on Saturday morning for talks with Iran mediated by Pakistan, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Leavitt said the Trump administration has seen “some progress” from the Iranian side in the last couple of days, without elaborating.

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“Steve and 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,” she told reporters.

Reuters reported earlier that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was expected in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday to discuss proposals for restarting peace talks with the US.

Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance, who led a first round of unsuccessful talks with Iran in Islamabad earlier this month, is ready to travel to Pakistan to join talks if they prove successful.

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“The president, the vice president, the secretary of state, will be waiting here in the United States for updates and the vice president, I understand, is on standby and will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it’s a necessary use of his time,” Leavitt said.

Trump unilaterally extended a two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday at the 11th hour to allow more time for negotiations to end the war.