Iranian foreign minister arrives in Islamabad, US says envoys to travel for talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi arrived on Friday evening in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, where talks to end the conflict in West Asia are expected to take place, Al Jazeera reported.

However, a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said that no direct meeting would take place with officials from the United States. Instead, Tehran’s official position and “observations” will be conveyed to Pakistan, which will communicate them to the United States, he was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

Earlier, Araghchi said in a social media post that he was embarking on a tour of Islamabad, Oman’s capital Muscat, and Russian capital Moscow. “Purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments,” he said. “Our neighbors are our priority.”

The White House also said on Friday that the United States was sending Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Special Envoy for Peace Jared Kushner to Pakistan to take part in talks, AP reported.

“We’re hopeful that it will be a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forward to a deal,” she said in an interview with Fox News.

Araghchi had held indirect talks with the two US envoys in Geneva on February 27 about Iran’s nuclear programme, but...

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