US sends envoys to hear Iran out in Pakistan
Washington, April 24
The United States President Donald Trump will dispatch special envoys to Pakistan to engage with Iran, following what White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described as signs of progress, even as she highlighted diplomatic gains in the Middle East.
Leavitt said the president has "decided to dispatch special Envoy Woff and Jared Kushner back to Islamabad," adding that "the Iranians wanna talk, they wanna talk in person."
"So Steve and Jared will be heading to Pakistan tomorrow to hear the Iranians out," she said, noting that the president remains "always willing to give diplomacy a chance."
The administration has "seen some progress from the Iranian side in the last couple of days," Leavitt said, but did not confirm whether Tehran had presented a unified proposal ahead of the talks.
Senior leadership in Washington, including the president, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will remain in the United States awaiting updates. The vice president is "on standby and will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it's a necessary use of this time," she added.
The remarks come amid wider diplomatic activity. Leavitt confirmed an extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, calling it "another win for the world for the United States" and "evidence of President Trump and his team doing a tremendous job at negotiating for peace all across the globe."
"We're very grateful to both Israel and Lebanon for choosing to work together and continuing these conversations," she said, expressing hope that leaders of both countries could eventually be hosted in Washington.
On economic oversight, Leavitt said an investigation into the Federal Reserve's financial management has been shifted but not dropped. "The investigation still continues. It's just under a different authority," she said, referring to its transfer to the Inspector General.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting move by Trump - sending Kushner and Woff to Islamabad. Seems like they're trying to replicate the Abraham Accords model. But Iran is a different beast altogether. Pakistan hosting these talks could be a double-edged sword for India. We need to ensure our strategic interests aren't compromised.
As an American, I'm skeptical about Pakistan's role in any negotiations. They have a track record of playing both sides. But if this leads to de-escalation with Iran, it's worth trying. The ceasefire extension between Israel and Lebanon is good news though - glad to see some stability in the Middle East.
Pakistan is being given too much importance in global diplomacy. India has far better relations with both US and Iran, yet we're not involved. Typical great power politics. Also, why is the Fed investigation being shuffled around? That raises more questions than answers. 🤨
"Another win for the world for the United States" - typical White House spin. Let's see if anything concrete comes out of these Pakistan talks. The Iranians have been saying they want to talk for months now. Actions speak louder than words.
Why Pakistan? India has historically been a neutral ground for many international dialogues. This feels like a slight to us. But I hope these talks succeed - the world needs less tension in the Middle East. The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extension is a positive step at least. Every bit of peace matters. 🙏
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