U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Pakistan in the coming days for direct negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, two U.S. officials told Axios.
While President Trump has extended the ceasefire with Iran, diplomatic efforts have stalled in recent days. The mission is an attempt to break the impasse and build momentum for a deal before Trump reportedly returns to exploring military options.
Araghchi is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday night for preliminary talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Asim Munir. A Pakistani official told Axios that the meeting will focus on relaunching negotiations with the Trump administration. "A trilateral meeting with the U.S. will be assessed after our meeting with Araghchi," the official said.
Araghchi is slated to travel from Islamabad to Muscat and then to Moscow, making the exact timing of his meeting with the U.S. envoys uncertain. CNN first reported on Witkoff and Kushner's planned trip.
The initiative follows a previous round of talks led by Vice President Vance. The outcome will test whether backchannel diplomacy can yield progress where formal negotiations have faltered.