Donald Trump is sending his special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan for direct discussions with Iranian representatives, as the administration continues its diplomatic push while maintaining pressure on Tehran.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the trip during a Friday appearance on Fox News.

“I can confirm that Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in direct talks with representatives from the Iranian delegation,” she said.

Leavitt noted that Pakistan will serve as the intermediary for the talks. “The Iranians reached out, as the President called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation, so the President is dispatching Steve and Jared to go hear what they have to say, and we’re hopeful that it will be a productive conversation,” she said.

Earlier Friday, CNN reported that Trump intends to send Witkoff and Kushner to Pakistan for meetings with Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, in the coming days.

JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation in prior negotiations, is not expected to attend this round, according to officials. They noted that Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, is also not taking part. Within the White House, Ghalibaf is viewed as leading Iran’s delegation and serving as Vance’s counterpart.

Officials said, however, that Vance could still travel to Islamabad if the discussions show signs of progress.

Earlier in the week, Trump announced that the ceasefire involving Iran would be extended indefinitely, citing internal divisions within the country and allowing time for its leadership to present a proposal for a broader agreement.

In a Truth Social post, Trump emphasized that the U.S. naval blockade will remain in effect until Iran submits a formal proposal.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump said he is willing to wait, noting he is in “no rush” for Iran to act.

He described internal turmoil among Iran’s leadership, saying they are “fighting like cats and dogs for who’s going to control” the country.

“We’ve taken out their military. We’ve hit about 75 percent of our targets. We stopped a little early because they wanted to have some peace, and we have a blockade that’s 100 percent effective. And they’re getting no business,” he said.

Trump further stated, “They want to make a deal. We have been speaking to them, but they don’t even know who’s leading the country. They’re in turmoil.”

“They came to us, and they said, ‘We will agree to open the Strait,’ and all my people were happy. Everybody was happy-except me. I said, ‘Wait a minute. If we open this strait, that means they’re going to make 500 million dollars a day. I don’t want them to make 500 million dollars a day until they settle this thing, so I’m the one that kept it closed. We have total control of it. And it’ll open when they make a deal or something else happens,” continued Trump.

The president added that while an agreement with Iran could be reached “right now,” his focus is on securing a lasting resolution rather than a short-term arrangement.

{Matzav.com}