Iranian delegation led by FM Araghchi lands in Islamabad; US officials to also arrive in Pakistan

Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Friday that an Iranian delegation led by the Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had arrived in Islamabad. The development came as the White House said that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would also be heading to Pakistan for talks with Iran. However, Iran asserted that it would not be meeting with the US. In a post on X, FO spokesperson Andrabi Araghchi was received by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and other senior officials. “During the visit, the Iranian foreign minister will hold meetings with Pakistan’s senior leadership to discuss the latest regional developments as well as ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability, ” he added. Subsequently, Dar posted on X that he was pleased to “receive and welcome my brother, Foreign Minister of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, to Islamabad”. “Look forward to our meaningful engagements aimed at promoting regional peace and stability, ” he added. Earlier, Pakistani sources said a small negotiating team was expected to accompany the foreign minister. They said a second round of peace talks with the United States was also expected and that a logistics and security team from the US was already in the federal capital. However, the spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei, said on X that no meeting was planned to take place between the US and Iran. “Iran’s observations would be conveyed to Pakistan, ” he said. He said the Iranian delegation will be meeting with high-level officials in “concert with their ongoing mediation and good offices for ending American imposed war of aggression and the restitution of peace in our region”. Earlier, Iran’s state media, while confirming the visit, also said that Araghchi would hold “bilateral consultations”. “Iran’s foreign minister will begin a regional tour on Friday evening, April 24, travelling to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow, ” the official IRNA news agency said. “The purpose of this trip is to hold bilateral consultations, discuss ongoing developments in the region, and review the latest situation regarding the war imposed by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran, ” it said. Before his arrival, Araghchi himself said in a post on the social media platform X that he was embarking on a “timely tour” of Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow. “The purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments. Our neighbours are our priority, ” he said. Witkoff, Kushner also expected in Islamabad Araghchi reached Islamabad shortly after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US Special Envoy on the Middle East Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday for a second round of talks with Iran. “I confirm special envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks — direct talks — intermediated by the Pakistanis, who have been incredible friends and mediators throughout this entire process, with representatives from the Iranian delegation, ” she told Fox News. “Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary, but first, Steve and Jared will be going over there to report back to the president, the vice president and the rest of the team, ” Leavitt said. “The president, the vice president, the secretary of state, will be waiting here in the United States for updates, and the vice president, I understand, is on standby and will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it’s a necessary use of his time, ” she said. “The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation, ” she claimed. “The president always wants to give diplomacy a chance. It’s always his first option, and he’s willing to do that here again, ” Leavitt said. She added that the US had seen some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and hoped more would be made in weekend talks. Diplomatic push Earlier in the day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Araghchi, in a phone call, exchanged views on the US-Iran ceasefire and Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts, according to the Foreign Office (FO). In a post on X, FO said, “Both sides exchanged views on regional developments, the ceasefire, and ongoing diplomatic efforts being pursued by Islamabad in the context of US-Iran engagement”. It added that Dar, for his part, stressed the importance of “sustained dialogue and engagement to address outstanding issues, in order to advance regional peace and stability at the earliest”. While his Iranian counterpart lauded “Pakistan’s consistent and constructive facilitation role in this regard”. The FO added that the two leaders agreed to remain in “close contact”. The first round of historic direct US-Iran talks was held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, following a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire on April 8. It had ended without an agreement, but also without a breakdown. However, the expected second round of negotiations witnessed a delay due to continued friction between the US and Iran, particularly regarding Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the US blockade of Iran’s ports. Over the past few days, Pakistan has ramped up its diplomatic efforts to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiation table. On Thursday, Naqvi held an “important meeting” with US Chargé d’Affaires to Pakistan, Natalie Baker, in Islamabad, where the two discussed diplomatic efforts regarding the possible second round of US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad. On Wednesday, Trump had hoped that a second round of talks could take place within two to three days, despite persistent mistrust. “It’s possible! ” Trump reportedly told the New York Post by text message, after the newspaper reached out to him to confirm whether the talks were “expected in Islamabad within the next 36 to 72 hours”. Additional input from Reuters and AFP

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