US Eyes Return to Pakistan to Resume Iran Talks

U.S. Officials are considering a return to Pakistan within days to resume negotiations with Iranian representatives aimed at reaching a longer-term peace deal with Tehran, according to several people familiar with the deliberations.

The potential outreach comes amid a tightening American naval blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline in the Strait of Hormuz, with the Trump administration weighing a renewed diplomatic push that could send senior officials back to Islamabad as early as Monday.

Vice President JD Vance is being considered for a return trip to Pakistan, where he previously led hours of negotiations with Iranian intermediaries last week. He would likely be joined by Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, who has played an increasingly visible role in the administration’s effort to broker regional agreements.

President Trump told different reporters on Friday that he had not yet determined who would lead the next round of in-person talks, stating it could include Vance, Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law.

The prospective visit follows an exhaustive round of talks last week in Islamabad, where Vance led negotiations with Iranian officials. Those discussions ended without a breakthrough, leaving core disputes unresolved — including the scope of Iran’s nuclear activities and the conditions for ending the war that began in February.

According to Wikipedia’s timeline of the 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations, talks have occurred in multiple rounds: Round 1 from April 12 to June 13, 2025. Round 2 from February 6 to February 28, 2026; Round 3 from March 30 to April 7, 2026; and the Islamabad Talks on April 11–12, 2026.

Participants in the negotiations have included U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Director of Policy Planning Michael Anton, CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper, Special Envoy Jared Kushner, and on the Iranian side, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani.

The talks have been held at various venues including Al Alam Palace in Muscat, Oman; the Embassy of Oman in Rome, Italy; Geneva, Switzerland; and Islamabad, Pakistan for the Islamabad Talks on April 11 and 12, 2026.

As of Friday morning, no firm date had been finalized for the potential resumption of talks, but officials indicated the effort remains tentative and aimed at reviving negotiations in hopes of reaching a longer-term peace deal with Tehran.