Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad on Saturday morning for Pakistan-mediated discussions involving Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday.
Leavitt told reporters at the White House that the Trump administration had seen “some progress” from the Iranian side in recent days, though she did not give details, according to Fox News.
“Steve and Jared will be heading to Pakistan tomorrow to hear the Iranians out,” Leavitt said. “We hope progress will be made and we hope that positive developments will come from this meeting.”
Vice President JD Vance is not currently planning to attend, Leavitt said. She said Vance would remain on standby to travel to Islamabad if the discussions advance.
The expected U.S. visit comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that he was beginning a trip to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow. In a post on X, Araghchi said his visits were aimed at coordinating with partners on bilateral issues and consulting on regional developments.
“Our neighbors are our priority,” Araghchi wrote.
Iranian media offered different signals about the trip. The IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency urged Araghchi to cancel the Islamabad leg, arguing that the timing of his visit alongside the U.S. team’s expected arrival could be seen as Tehran accepting further talks with Washington.
The Iranian semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Araghchi will not hold negotiations with U.S. officials during his Islamabad visit. Tasnim said no meetings with the American side are scheduled and that Araghchi’s trip is intended for talks with Pakistani officials.
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