The United States will send Vice President JD Vance to Pakistan this weekend to lead diplomatic talks with Iran, the White House confirmed Wednesday, according to The Express Tribune. The delicate negotiations, which will take place in Islamabad on Saturday, come amid a shaky ceasefire between Washington and Tehran and intensifying conflict in the wider region.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump has tasked Vance with heading the U.S. delegation, joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner. “The president is dispatching his negotiating team … for talks this weekend,” she told reporters.
Iran, reeling from the loss of several senior officials in the war, will be represented by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, both prominent political figures with deep links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Leavitt urged Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz “immediately, quickly and safely,” after reports emerged that the vital oil route remained closed despite the ceasefire. The White House called the shutdown “completely unacceptable,” warning it threatens global energy supplies and stability.
President Trump, Leavitt added, will continue separate discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over possibly including Lebanon in a broader peace framework. “This will continue to be discussed between the president and Prime Minister Netanyahu,” she said.
The press secretary also took aim at NATO, claiming the alliance had “turned its back” on Washington as its secretary-general prepared to meet President Trump. She said Trump would discuss a potential U.S. withdrawal from the alliance during upcoming talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
The confirmation of the Iran talks came as hopes over the U.S.–Iran truce were overshadowed by renewed violence. Israel launched its most intense attacks yet on Lebanon, while Iranian missiles struck several Gulf oil installations.
Lebanon’s civil defense service reported at least 254 deaths across the country from Israeli strikes on Wednesday, including 91 in Beirut. Witnesses said many raids came without civilian warnings.
Despite the grim regional outlook, global markets steadied, with oil prices sliding to $95.20 a barrel as traders clung to hopes that diplomacy might yet hold.
