Iran's foreign minister departs Pakistan before U.S. envoys arrive, leaving peace talks in question

Before departing, Araghchi met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and other senior Pakistani officials to discuss what he described as Iran's red lines for negotiations, according to the Associated Press. Araghchi said on Telegram that Tehran would continue engaging with Pakistan's mediation efforts "until a result is achieved," but did not commit to direct contact with U.S. representatives.

The visit unfolded against a backdrop of an open-ended ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran that Trump extended unilaterally earlier in the week. Iran described that extension as "meaningless," saying the continued U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports violated the terms of the deal and that its delegation would not return to direct talks until the blockade was lifted, according to NPR.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday on Fox News that Trump was sending Witkoff and Kushner to Islamabad "to go hear" what the Iranians had to say, and that "the Iranians asked for the talks." Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation in the first round of talks in Pakistan — the highest-level direct discussions between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to the AP — was described as remaining on standby in the United States.