Trump sends Witkoff and Kushner to Pakistan to try and restart Iran ceasefire talks; Iran says it will mediate “until a result is achieved”

(SeaPRwire) –   American envoys are slated to head to Pakistan this Saturday in a renewed attempt to rescue ceasefire negotiations with Tehran, even as Iran’s foreign minister reached Islamabad and dismissed the possibility of direct discussions with U.S. officials.

This latest push to secure an agreement in Islamabad arrives during an indefinite ceasefire that has halted most combat, though the economic consequences continue to escalate as global energy transport remains hampered by the near-total blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.

Authorities have not confirmed the arrival time for President Donald Trump’s representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are set to head the American delegation. The White House opted not to provide a statement on Saturday.

On Saturday, Iran resumed commercial air travel from its international airport for the first time since the hostilities with the U.S. and Israel commenced roughly two months ago. According to Iranian state media, flights were scheduled to head to Muscat, Istanbul, and Medina. Iran had previously reopened a portion of its airspace earlier this month as a result of the ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the chief of staff of the Pakistani military. Araghchi stated on Telegram that they discussed regional issues, including Iran’s non-negotiable terms. While he provided no further specifics, he affirmed that Tehran would persist in working with Pakistan’s mediation efforts “until a result is achieved.”

Pakistan works to get the US and Iran back to the negotiating table

Islamabad was under a near-lockdown early Saturday as security measures, which have disrupted daily life for a week, remained in place ahead of the anticipated talks. Local residents faced difficulties traveling even short distances due to the now-standard road closures, checkpoints, and detours.

The primary routes to the airport and the high-security Red Zone were largely empty on Saturday, with travel strictly controlled. Security personnel—comprising police, paramilitary commandos, and troops—maintained a heavy presence at major junctions, particularly near the airport, while helicopters patrolled the skies.

Pakistan has been working to facilitate a return to the negotiating table for U.S. and Iranian officials since President Trump announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire this week, acceding to Islamabad’s call for increased diplomatic engagement.

The White House confirmed on Friday that Trump was dispatching Witkoff and Kushner to meet with Araghchi. However, shortly after the Iranian diplomat’s arrival in Islamabad, his ministry clarified that any dialogue would be conducted indirectly, with Pakistani officials acting as intermediaries between the two parties.

Araghchi and Trump’s envoys previously engaged in hours of indirect discussions in Geneva on February 27 regarding Tehran’s nuclear program, but those talks concluded without an agreement. The following day, the U.S. and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Fox News on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner intended to “hear the Iranians out.”

“We have certainly observed some progress from the Iranian side over the past few days,” Leavitt noted, though she provided no further details regarding what U.S. officials were being told.

Trump extends the Jones Act waiver for 90 days

In a separate development on Friday, the White House announced that President Trump has granted a 90-day extension to the Jones Act waiver, facilitating the transport of natural gas and oil by non-U.S. vessels.

The initial 60-day waiver was announced in March, aimed at stabilizing energy costs and easing oil and gas shipments to the U.S. following the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime route that carries one-fifth of the world’s oil during normal times.

Brent crude oil prices, the global benchmark, dipped following the announcement, fluctuating between $103 and over $107 per barrel on Friday—a level still nearly 50% higher than at the start of the conflict.

Iran continues to restrict traffic through the strait, having attacked three vessels this week, while the U.S. maintains a blockade of Iranian ports and President Trump has directed the military to “shoot and kill” small vessels suspected of laying mines.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Saturday that Germany is deploying minesweepers to the Mediterranean to assist in clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz once the fighting ceases.

The disruption to shipments through the strait has impacted global maritime trade, with effects reaching as far as the Panama Canal.

A growing toll even as ceasefires hold

Since the outbreak of the war, at least 3,375 individuals have been killed in Iran, and over 2,490 in Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah erupted two days after the start of the Iran conflict, according to official reports.

Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab nations. The death toll includes 15 Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members across the region.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon has also suffered losses. On Friday, UNIFIL reported that an Indonesian peacekeeper succumbed to wounds sustained during an attack on his base on March 29, bringing the total number of peacekeepers killed since the war began to six—four from Indonesia and two from France.

The situation in Lebanon remains volatile following President Trump’s announcement on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Hezbollah has not been involved in the diplomacy brokered by Washington.

In a video released by his office on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised “a process to achieve a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon.”