Trump Sends Witkoff and Kushner to Meet Araqchi

SadaNews - While Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is heading to Islamabad tonight, US administration officials revealed on Friday that President Donald Trump will send senior negotiators Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Abbas Araqchi.

The officials also stated that Witkoff and Kushner have been working for months with the Iranians to reach an agreement, according to CNN.

Furthermore, they noted that Vice President GD Vance is ready to travel to Pakistan should the talks with Tehran progress.

However, they clarified that Vance does not plan to travel to Islamabad at this time due to the absence of the chief Iranian negotiator, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

Iran and the United States conducted negotiations on April 11 in Islamabad, chaired by Qalibaf for the Iranian delegation and Vance for the American delegation. Tehran and Washington later confirmed the failure to reach an agreement regarding a long-term settlement of the conflict due to several disagreements.

A Tour Starting from Islamabad... An Indication of Positivity

These statements came after Abbas Araqchi confirmed that the goal of starting a tour including Pakistan, as well as Oman and Russia, is "to coordinate on bilateral issues and consult on regional developments," pointing out that the tour comes at an important time.

In a post on the "X" platform on Friday, he wrote, "The purpose of my visit is to closely coordinate with our partners regarding bilateral issues and to consult on regional developments, adding: "Our neighbors are our priority."

For its part, Al Arabiya's correspondent in Pakistan reported that talks are ongoing to extend the truce between Tehran and Washington, noting that Araqchi's return to communications is considered a positive indication in Islamabad.

It is noteworthy that Islamabad began preparations earlier this week to receive the American and Iranian delegations before the scene changed completely after Tehran confirmed that it had not sent its delegation last Wednesday.

US Vice President GD Vance was scheduled to head to Islamabad on Tuesday, US time, to lead the negotiating delegation, but the trip was suspended and later postponed indefinitely after Iran retracted at the last minute from sending its delegation, despite prior notification to mediators of its agreement to participate.

Since then, Pakistani authorities have continued their efforts to persuade the Iranians to participate and convey apprehensions and concerns to the American side. However, the mutual American-Iranian threats have escalated, with both sides sticking to their positions.