US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are heading to Pakistan for Iran talks on Saturday, Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, has said.
US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend talks, but are on “standby,” she said.
“The Vice President remains deeply involved in this entire process, and he’ll be standing by here,” she says. “Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary.”
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will also head to the Pakistani capital as part of a regional tour, the Iranian government confirmed in a statement without reference to the US.
Earlier, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran had a chance to “make a good, wise deal,” adding that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports “is growing and going global.”
