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The White House confirmed this Friday that the special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, will travel to Pakistan this Saturday to participate in direct talks with representatives of the Iranian delegation, mediated by Islamabad.
The spokesperson Karoline Leavitt announced the news on Fox News, specifying that the Iranians had reached out to Washington just as Trump had urged them to do, requesting an in-person meeting.
"The Iranians reached out—as President Donald Trump urged them to do—and requested this in-person conversation. Therefore, the president is sending Steve and Jared to listen to what they have to say; we trust it will be a productive conversation and, hopefully, allow us to move toward an agreement," Leavitt stated.
The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also heading to the Pakistani capital as part of a regional tour, although the Tehran government confirmed his trip without explicitly referencing the United States.
Leavitt noted that Washington has "certainly seen advances" from Iran in recent days and that Trump is "always willing to give diplomacy a chance."
The Vice President JD Vance and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend the talks, but remain "on standby" alongside the national security team, ready to fly to Islamabad if the negotiations progress.
"The vice president remains deeply involved in this entire process and will be here in the United States, alongside the president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the entire national security team," Leavitt stated, adding that "of course, everyone will be ready to fly to Pakistan if necessary."
This new round comes after the failure of the second round scheduled for April 21 and 22, when Iran refused to participate, demanding an end to the naval blockade and the release of frozen assets.
The first round, held between April 10 and 12 in Islamabad and led by Vance along with Witkoff and Kushner, lasted 21 hours without reaching an agreement.
The conflict began on February 28, 2026 with Operation Epic Fury, a joint offensive by the United States and Israel that destroyed over 13,000 Iranian targets and eliminated the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
From April 13, the United States has maintained a naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman with over a dozen ships, 100 aircraft, and 10,000 personnel, costing Iran 500 million dollars a day.
The day before, Trump had stated on his social media that he feels no pressure to end the war: "I have all the time in the world, but Iran does not".
Regarding whether this Saturday's meeting will bear fruit, Leavitt was brief: "We'll see."
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