WASHINGTON — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States would send a delegation to Pakistan this weekend, as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is also expected to arrive in Islamabad.
Leavitt told journalists that President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner would be traveling for a fresh round of negotiations with Tehran on April 25, saying Washington had seen “some progress” from the Iranian side in recent days.
Araqchi was expected to arrive in Islamabad on April 24 for talks that would reports said would include consultations on proposals for reviving peace negotiations with the United States.
US and Iranian teams held peace talks in the Pakistani capital on April 11-12, but they ended without an agreement and a second round that had been expected earlier this week did not materialize.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the US team on April 11-12, would not lead the US delegation this time around, Leavitt said. She added Vance would stay on “standby” in the United States and “will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it’s a necessary use of his time.”
“The president, the vice president, the secretary of state, will be waiting here in the United States for updates.”
According to an earlier report by CNN, which cited unnamed US officials, Vance would be ready to travel to Islamabad if negotiations produce progress.
In a post on X, Araqchi said he would visit Pakistan, Oman, and Russia to coordinate with regional partners on bilateral issues and to discuss recent developments. He added that relations with neighboring countries remain a priority for Tehran.
The US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28. A cease-fire has been in place since April 8, and Trump announced an extension shortly before it was due to expire on April 22.