Donald Trump to send Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
Updated ,first published
Dubai/Washington: US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan soon to meet with Iran’s foreign minister, a US official told Reuters.
US Vice President J.D. Vance does not currently plan to attend but will be on hand to travel to Islamabad if negotiations progress. According to CNNHe is the first to record travel plans, citing two administrative officials. According to CNN’s report, negotiations could be held as soon as this weekend.
According to the Iranian government, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Pakistan on Friday night has raised hopes for a revival of talks on the war.
It was stated that Araghchi went on a regional trip, including Oman and Russia, to discuss bilateral relations.
The Iranian report and Pakistani sources made no mention of Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the delegation in the only talks so far earlier this month.
At a briefing at the Pentagon on Friday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US was not “concerned” about making a deal but that Iran had a chance to “make a good deal, a smart deal.”
“Our blockade is growing and globalizing,” Hegseth told reporters.
Transport in the Strait of Hormuz remains virtually blocked, and Iran’s seizure of two large cargo ships this week is a reminder that Washington is struggling to keep it under control as Tehran continues to cause trouble for oil markets and put huge pressure on the global economy.
A day after Iran demonstrated its firm grip on the strait, Trump downplayed the threat posed by Iran’s “little smart-guy ships” and said he believed Tehran was prevented from making a deal because its leadership was in disarray.
Trump said that the US Navy was ordered to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats laying mines in the strait and that the strait will be “tightly closed” until Iran makes a deal. Trump said that the United States could destroy in one day any renewed weapons that Iran may have built during the ceasefire that has been in place since April 8.
Oil prices started to rise again on Friday as the blockade in the Bosphorus was not resolved and the ceasefire remained unstable. Brent Crude futures rose more than 1 percent and U.S. crude also gained 1 percent.
Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon extended the ceasefire for three weeks at a White House meeting brokered by Trump, who said he was ready to wait for the “best deal” to end the conflict.
Clashes in Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have been one of a number of sticking points in resolving the broader regional conflict, alongside Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control of the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian unity
Iran’s use of a swarm of small, fast boats to seize container ships this week cast doubt on Trump’s claims that U.S. forces have neutralized Iran’s maritime threat and underscores Tehran’s evolving tactics as it counters U.S. interception of Iran-linked oil tankers and other ships.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday rejected Trump’s claim of leadership confusion, calling it “the enemy’s media operations” aimed at maliciously undermining Iran’s unity and security.
“The unity will become stronger and more solid, the enemies will be weaker and more humiliated,” he said in his post about X, who has remained out of the public eye since taking over from his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in US attacks in the early days of the war.
The protracted conflict has deepened the rift between the United States and NATO; Trump has repeatedly criticized members for not supporting U.S. operations. Washington is currently considering punishing “difficult” countries such as Spain based on policy options being reviewed in the bloc, a US official told Reuters.
The options were detailed in a memo expressing frustration over some allies’ perceived reluctance or refusal to grant the United States access, basing and overflight rights for the Iran war, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Trump said this week that he would indefinitely extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran to allow for the continuation of peace talks that have not yet been scheduled.
“Don’t rush me,” he said when asked how long he was willing to wait for a long-term peace deal. “I want to get the best deal… I want this to last forever.”
He also denied the use of nuclear weapons to reporters, saying the US was “destroying” Iran with conventional weapons because they were unnecessary.
Asked by a reporter at the White House, Trump said, “No, I wouldn’t. Nuclear weapons should not be allowed to be used by anyone.”
deadly week
Despite the extension of the ceasefire, clashes continued in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces continued to hit Hezbollah targets.
The Israeli military said on Thursday it had carried out a series of attacks, killing three Hezbollah militants and targeting the group’s infrastructure used to launch attacks.
It was stated that Hezbollah militants continued to target Israeli troops in southern Lebanon with rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles and hit the north of Israel with rockets.
Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was among those killed in Israeli attacks this week, according to a senior Lebanese military official and his employer: al-Akhbar newspaper.
Israel is trying to make common cause with the Lebanese government over Hezbollah, which Beirut tried to peacefully disarm last year.
The group did not participate in ceasefire talks in Washington.
Before the announcement in Washington on Thursday, Israel warned that it was ready to restart attacks against Iran and was waiting for a “green light” from the United States.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that if this happens, he will start by targeting Khamenei and return Iran to a dark age.
Reuters, AP
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