Kushner, Witkoff heading to Pakistan for 'direct talks' with Iran, White House says

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to Pakistan on Saturday morning to engage in "direct talks" with their Iranian counterparts, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Friday. "The Iranians reached out" and asked for an in-person conversation, as President Donald Trump had asked them to do, Leavitt said on Fox News. "So the president is dispatching Steve and Jared to go hear what they have to say, and we're hopeful that it will be a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal," she said. The announcement signals a potential diplomatic breakthrough after the prospect of further peace negotiations between the warring powers appeared to stall out earlier this week. Vice President JD Vance, who led a prior U.S. delegation to Islamabad for an initial round of negotiations with Iran, will not be attending this weekend's talks, Leavitt said. "The vice president remains deeply involved in this entire process, and he'll be standing by here in the United States, along with the president and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the entire national security team for updates," she said. "And of course, everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary. But first, Steve and Jared will be going over there to report back to the president, the vice president, and the rest of the team." Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, earlier Friday said he was "embarking on a timely tour" of Islamabad, Muscat