Trump to send US special envoy for further peace talks in Pakistan 'to hear the Iranians out', White House announces
The US is sending his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan on Saturday “to hear the Iranians out”, the White House has said.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are to head to Pakistan for further peace talks with Iran, the White House has announced.
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US President Donald Trump said he is sending the envoy on Saturday “to hear the Iranians out”.
The pair are due to meet Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to continue the negotiations in an effort to end the war in the Middle East and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Vice President JD Vance is not currently planning to attend but he will be on standby to travel to Islamabad if negotiations progress.
"The Vice President remains deeply involved in this entire process, and he'll be standing by here," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
"Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary."
Despite the announcement, Iranian state media has insisted that no direct meetings will take place.
Instead, it says it will use Pakistani officials as intermediaries in peace talks.
In a statement on X confirming that report, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson says "no meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US", and Iran's observations will instead be "conveyed to Pakistan".
The announcement comes as US President Donald Trump announced an extension of a two-week ceasefire with Iran earlier this week.
A two-week pause in hostilities between the two countries had been due to expire on Wednesday evening, Washington time. Trump did not give a deadline for the ceasefire extension.
However the US will continue to blockade Iranian ports until Tehran presents a "unified proposal", President Trump added.
The global benchmark wholesale oil price dipped to $97.60 (£72.14) a barrel after the announcement.
However the price climbed back up again amid reports of ships being attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, hitting $100 a barrel before dropping slightly.
Energy markets have been in continuous flux since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.
Iran responded by effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz waterway, which is one of the world's busiest oil shipping lanes.
In an interview on The John Fredericks Show, Mr Trump warned Iran that if it did not negotiate it wold see "problems like they’ve never seen before".
"They're [Iran] going to negotiate. And if they don't, they're going to see problems like they've never seen before," the US president said.
"And they're going to negotiate, and hopefully they'll make a fair deal, and they'll build their country back up."