ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Senior Iranian and U.S. officials are expected in Pakistan this weekend as part of a diplomatic push to resume face-to-face negotiations on a deal to end the war in Iran, now in its second month. But it is unclear if the two sides will meet.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday “the Iranians want to talk. They want to talk in person,” when she announced a U.S. delegation including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, would travel to Pakistan.
But on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the Iranian delegation that had already arrived in Pakistan was there for a bilateral visit only and was not planning to engage with the United States.
“No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the U.S.,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in an X post. “Iran’s observations would be conveyed to Pakistan.”
It’s unclear when the U.S. delegation will arrive in Pakistan. Vice President JD Vance, who was present for the first round of talks in Pakistan earlier this month, will not attend, but could join later, Leavitt said.
U.S. officials have said they are confident a meeting will happen. On Friday Leavitt said the administration hopes “positive developments will come from this meeting” and that “progress will be made.”
Also Friday, a U.S. official said while Iran had not made a public statement, Witkoff and Kushner had received confirmation from Tehran that Iranian officials would show up. “They wouldn’t go otherwise,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading the Iranian delegation that is in Pakistan, the first stop on a three-country tour that also includes Oman and Russia. Araghchi arrived in Pakistan on Friday and could depart Saturday, according to an Iranian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
While talks earlier this month marked a historic first, the most senior direct engagement between U.S. and Iranian officials since the 1979 revolution in Iran, the negotiations failed to secure a deal. Since then the two sides have remained in contact, but it’s unclear if they have made progress bridging any of the gaps on key issues including Iran’s nuclear program and the future of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Pakistani leadership is trying their best for direct engagement between U.S. and Iran but so far nothing is confirmed,” said a Pakistani official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive closed-door discussions.
While both the U.S. and Iran are willing to meet directly, the Pakistani official said, “issues need to be sorted out.” But, he said it’s “encouraging” that Iran and the U.S. have both sent delegations to Pakistan at the same time.
The fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran announced earlier this month has largely held, despite an escalating standoff in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports and Iran is requiring vessels to obtain permission from Tehran to pass. Both Iran and the U.S. have seized vessels in the region.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s fuel transits. The strait’s closure has triggered a global energy crisis, with crippling shortages and price spikes impacting much of Asia and elsewhere.
Natalie Allison and Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report.
The post Iran says no direct talks planned as Witkoff, Kushner expected in Pakistan appeared first on Washington Post.
