Iran delegation arrives in Pakistan amid hopes for progress

A fragile ceasefire and a fresh burst of diplomacy brought the Middle East conflict to another pivotal moment as Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Pakistan and US envoys traveled to Islamabad in hopes of reviving stalled peace negotiations.

The White House said emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would hold an “in-person conversation” with Iranian representatives, though Iranian state media insisted direct talks were not on the agenda.

Even after US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the ceasefire in Lebanon would be extended by three weeks, violence persisted. Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed six people yesterday, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Mr Trump has projected optimism about securing a durable peace in Lebanon, but ending the broader Middle East war remains far more complicated, particularly as pressure grows to restore full access through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confers with Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, Pakistan (image: Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout)

“The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation,” Ms Leavitt said, adding that the talks would “hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal.”

Ms Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance, who led an initial round of negotiations in Islamabad two weeks ago that ended without agreement, would not attend for now but remained on “standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary.”

Late last night, it was still uncertain whether Iranian officials would sit down directly with the US delegation.

Iranian state television said Mr Araghchi did not plan to meet the Americans and that Pakistan would instead act as an intermediary to “convey” Iranian proposals for ending the conflict.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Mr Araghchi had arrived in Islamabad for discussions with Pakistani officials on “ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability,” stopping short of explicitly mentioning talks involving Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner.

The White House said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would engage in an ‘in-person conversation’ with Iranian representatives

An Iranian spokesman said Mr Araghchi would travel to Oman and Russia after his stop in Pakistan for talks on ending the war launched against the Islamic Republic by Israel and the United States on 28 February.

EU says opening Hormuz ‘vital’

Since the previous round of negotiations, attempts to bring both sides back to the table have stalled, with Iran refusing to take part while a US naval blockade on its ports remains in force.

Iran, for its part, has maintained a de facto blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, allowing only a trickle of vessels through the strategic passage and rattling global energy markets.

Oil prices fell yesterday as hopes rose that renewed diplomacy could halt Iran’s disruption of shipping through the strait.

European Council President Antonio Costa said the waterway “must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling.”

“This is vital for the entire world,” Mr Costa added.

Major Wall Street indices ended yesterday at new record highs as investors welcomed a fresh run of earnings reports and watched US and Iranian officials head to Pakistan.

US President Donald Trump previously spoke in glowing terms of peace prospects for Lebanon

At the same time, the United States continued to reinforce its military presence in the Middle East with the arrival of a third aircraft carrier in the region, the USS George HW Bush.

‘Destroyed’

Mr Trump struck an upbeat tone on Thursday about the chances for peace in Lebanon after meeting Israeli and Lebanese envoys, and said he hoped to convene a three-way meeting with the Lebanese and Israeli leaders.

Israel and Lebanon have officially been at war for decades and, until last week, had not held such direct talks since 1993.

Mohammed Raad, who heads Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, called on the Lebanese government to pull back from direct talks with Israel and warned that the kind of lasting peace agreement sought by Mr Trump “will in no way enjoy Lebanese national consensus.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to destroy the Iran-backed movement, said: “We have started a process to reach a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it’s clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this.”

In Tyre, in southern Lebanon, Mohamad Ali Hijazi sifted through a vast heap of rubble in search of keepsakes linked to relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike just minutes before the ceasefire took effect.

“I’m trying to find my mother’s hairbrush and a bottle of perfume that she loves,” said Mr Hijazi, 48 – among the last gifts he sent her from France, where he has long lived with his wife and two daughters.

“My life has been destroyed. I haven’t slept for five days,” he told AFP, repeatedly fighting back tears.