US, Iran To Hold 2nd Round Of Talks In Pakistan Today

New Delhi: As a delicate ceasefire remains in place in the Middle East, Iran and US are set to hold a second round of talks in Pakistan on Saturday.

While US President Donald Trump is sending envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, state-run IRNA news agency said Iran will be represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for “bilateral consultations”.

The talks come a day after the Iran-Hezbollah ceasefire was extended by three weeks, though the war that started after US and Israel traded attacks with Iran on February 28 is nowhere near an apparent end.

The White House said emissaries would engage in an “in-person conversation” with Iranian representatives, but Iranian state media said that direct negotiations were not in the cards.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an interview on Fox News Channel that the two envoys will have talks with Araghchi. “We’re hopeful that it will be a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forward to a deal,” Leavitt said. She said that Vice President JD Vance would not be traveling but that he remains “deeply involved.”

An Iranian spokesman said Araghchi would visit Oman and Russia after the Pakistan stop to discuss efforts to end the war.

This is the second round of talks being held in Islamabad after the first round on April 11-12 was inconclusive. The talks between the US and Iran failed in Islamabad due to disagreement on three crucial issues, including Tehran’s highly enriched uranium (HEU) and its nuclear future, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel’s war in Lebanon. Iran has asserted its right to enrich uranium. However, it has been said that the level of enrichment could be negotiated.

US Vice President JD Vance said no headway was made during 21 hours of negotiations with Iran. “Their nuclear program and the enrichment facilities they had before have been destroyed. But we do not see a commitment to not develop more nuclear weapons,” he had added.