US Envoys Head to Pakistan Saturday for Fresh Iran Peace Talks
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are traveling to Pakistan on Saturday for direct talks with Iranian representatives, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The move comes as the Trump administration seeks to restart negotiations after extending a ceasefire with Iran.
Latest Diplomatic Push
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to leave for Pakistan tomorrow morning to engage in talks with Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday. "I can 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 — with representatives from the Iranian delegation," she told Fox News.
Iranian Response
Leavitt said the Iranians reached out, "as the president called on them to do," and requested the in-person conversation. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi just landed in Pakistan, but Iranian semi-official state media denied he will speak with the Americans.
Ongoing Ceasefire Tensions
The Israeli military killed two people in the southern Lebanese town of Touline on Friday, Lebanese state media reported, less than a day after the White House ordered a three-week truce extension. At least nine people have been killed in Lebanon since April 17, when the ceasefire went into effect.
Broader Humanitarian Crisis
Food prices in Gaza are 85% higher than before the Iran war. "We wanted the sense of normalcy to get back into places like Gaza, but we're far from this at the moment."