Washington Negotiators Head to Islamabad Today as Tehran Refuses Direct Meeting

SadaNews - American negotiators are scheduled to travel to Pakistan today (Saturday), but Iran has stated that its officials do not intend to meet with the Americans to discuss ending the war, according to Reuters.

The White House announced that Steve Witkoff, the special envoy for President Donald Trump, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, will leave this morning to hold talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated to reporters that Iran has the opportunity to strike a "good deal" with the United States.

He added, "Iran knows it has a chance to choose wisely... all it has to do is abandon nuclear weapons in tangible and verifiable ways."

Araqchi arrived in Islamabad yesterday (Friday). However, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry mentioned via the platform "X" that Iranian officials do not intend to meet with U.S. representatives, and that Tehran's concerns will be conveyed to Pakistan, which is mediating.

The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment on the Iranian statement.

Washington and Tehran face a significant impasse; Iran has nearly completely shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which about five shipments of global oil typically pass, while the United States is preventing Iranian oil exports.

The conflict, which has entered its ninth week, has driven energy prices to their highest levels in several years, exacerbating inflation and casting a shadow over global growth prospects.

Trump told Reuters on Friday that Tehran intends to make an offer aimed at meeting Washington's demands, but he does not know what that offer includes.

He refrained from specifying whom the United States is negotiating with, but added, "We are dealing with the responsible people at this time."

For her part, White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt indicated that the United States has noticed some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and hopes to achieve more during talks at the beginning of the week. She confirmed that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is also prepared to head to Pakistan.

Vance, Witkoff, Kushner, and Araqchi, in addition to the Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, participated in talks that did not yield decisive results in Islamabad two weeks ago.

Araqchi, who mentioned on the platform "X" that he will visit both Pakistan and Oman and Russia, met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday at the Serena Hotel, where previous talks were held, while Pakistani sources indicated that a U.S. team for logistical and security support is present in Islamabad.

Additionally, Trump unilaterally extended the ceasefire for two weeks on Tuesday, allowing more time for negotiations.

Shipping data on Friday showed that five ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, compared to about 130 ships daily before the war that the United States and Israel initiated on February 28.