This handout photo released by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 25, 2026 shows Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Army Staff Syed Asim Munir (3rd R) meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (3rd L) upon his arrival in Islamabad. (Photo by Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP via Getty Images) / XGTY / EDITORIAL USE LIMITED – CREDIT “AFP Photo / Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs” – HANDOUT – NO MARKETING CAMPAIGNS – NOTIFIED AS A SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS
– | Afp | Getty Images
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Pakistan’s military chief, Asim Munir, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said in a statement on Saturday, as prospects for a second round of direct talks over the weekend between Iran and the US appear uncertain.
A senior Iranian official said his government representatives have no plans to meet with senior American negotiators heading to Pakistan for talks.
“There is no meeting scheduled to take place between Iran and the U.S. Iran’s comments will be forwarded to Pakistan,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in an emailed statement late Friday.
And on Friday, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt confirmed that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to Pakistan on Saturday morning to engage in “direct dialogue” with their Iranian counterparts.
“The Iranians reached out” and asked for a personal interview, as President Donald Trump had requested, Leavitt said on Fox News.
“So the president is sending Steve and Jared to hear what they have to say, and we hope that it will be a successful discussion and we hope that he will move the ball forward in the agreement,” he said.
Vice President JD Vance, who led the previous US delegation to Islamabad in the first round of talks with Iran, will not attend this weekend’s talks, Leavitt said.
Trump told Reuters in a phone call later on Friday that Iran “will make an offer,” adding that he did not know what it would be and “we’ll have to see.”
Araghchi, earlier on Friday said he is “starting a timely trip” to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow to “contact our partners on bilateral issues and discuss regional developments.”
The Islamabad talks “will be coordinated with the Pakistanis,” Leavitt said in an interview with Fox.
The first round of peace talks, held two weeks ago in Islamabad and led on the US side by Vance, ended without an agreement.
The American delegation, including Vance, was expected to return to Pakistan earlier this week to continue the talks, but the trip was delayed as Iranian officials reportedly said they would not come.
Much of the discussion has focused on the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route that has seen traffic slow amid Iranian threats and, since last week, a retaliatory US military blockade.
Trump, in an interview with Reuters, said that the US will not lift its embargo on Iranian ports until an agreement is reached.
Cessation of fat
The US is also maintaining other forms of economic pressure on Tehran.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Associated Press on Friday that the US does not plan to renew a single waiver to allow the purchase of Iranian oil at sea.
“Not the Iranians,” Bessent said. “We’re blocked, and no oil is coming out.”
“And we think that in the next two, three days, they will have to start shutting down production, which will be very bad for their sources.”
Bessent also said that the US does not plan to renew the waiver that allows the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products currently at sea, according to AP.
Meanwhile, the US said it has approved Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., Ltd., a private “tea” oil refinery in China, for buying Iranian oil products.
“China-based private teapot refineries continue to play an important role in stabilizing Iran’s oil economy, and Hengli is one of Iran’s largest customers of crude oil and other petroleum products, having purchased billions of dollars worth of Iranian fuel,” the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.
The tensions have further strained the already fragile arms embargo, which was announced on April 7 amid Trump’s threats that “the entire civilization of Iran will die” unless a deal is struck.
Despite continued pressure on the crisis, Trump on Tuesday unilaterally extended the ceasefire shortly before it expired.
After the war began on February 28, the Trump administration repeatedly said it expected the operation to be short and completed in four to six weeks.
Since that deadline passed, the administration has revised its timeline, while insisting that previous US conflicts have taken too long.
“Unlike the endless wars of the past that dragged on for years and decades with little to show for it, Operation Epic Fury delivered a significant military result in a matter of weeks,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference Friday morning.
– Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
