Steve Witkoff—President Donald Trump’s special envoy—and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will visit Pakistan on Saturday for talks with Iran. On Friday, a US official said Witkoff and Kushner would hold discussions with Iran’s foreign minister. The American official shared this information in a conversation with news agency Reuters. Meanwhile, according to a CNN report, US Vice President J.D. Vance currently has no plans to attend the trip. “However, if there is any progress in the talks, J.D. Vance will be ready to go to Islamabad,” the report said.
The report also indicated that talks between the United States and Iran could take place this weekend. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister has reached Pakistan. He announced through social media that he was leaving on a trip to Pakistan, Oman and Russia.
In a post on
Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, provided further details regarding Araghchi’s three-nation visit. According to the report, during his visit to Pakistan, Abbas Araghchi “will present Tehran’s views and conditions regarding ending the war imposed on Iran.”
The report added: “The purpose of the visit is to hold bilateral consultations and discussions, and to discuss ongoing regional developments. Additionally, the current situation of the war imposed on Iran by the United States and Israel will also be a topic of discussion.”
Semi-official news agency Tasnim reported that the main focus of discussion in Oman would be regional issues and war, while the talks in Russia would cover bilateral, regional and international developments. However, there is no official confirmation yet from Iran whether Araghchi will hold talks with the US delegation during his visit to Pakistan. Visiting Pakistan and Oman is understandable, but why is Araghchi visiting Russia amid this conflict?
Along with Pakistan, Oman also plays the role of mediator between Iran and America, making Araghchi’s visits to these countries extremely important. But, why is Araghchi traveling to Russia amid this conflict? The answer lies in the fact that Russia has remained a key diplomatic ally of Iran during its standoff with the US. Russia has repeatedly offered to take custody of Iran’s enriched uranium. In particular, Russia has proposed that it could safely store Iran’s enriched uranium on its own territory.
Handing over its enriched uranium is one of the main demands of the US to end this conflict. However, America is not accepting this proposal of Russia. It is believed that Trump does not want Russia—a nuclear power—to gain even more influence in the region.
