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  "path": "/news/1994917/araghchis-islamabad-visit-bodes-well-for-us-dialogue",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-25T04:19:47.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.dawn.com",
  "tags": [
    "World",
    "extended ceasefire",
    "visit",
    "brokered"
  ],
  "textContent": "• Iranian foreign minister arrives in capital late on Friday, set to visit Oman, Russia next\n• Will hold meetings with political, military leadership; expected to convey Tehran’s response to US messages\n• White House says Kushner, Witkoff set to travel to Pakistan; Vance ‘on standby’\n\nISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Mini­ster Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad late on Friday — carrying Tehran’s formal response to proposals conveyed earlier by the US through Pakistan — as renewed diplomatic activity gathered pace and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner prepared to travel to Islamabad.\n\nEven so, prospects for direct engagement between the two sides remain uncertain.\n\nThe Iranian foreign minister was received by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to a Foreign Office statement issued late on Friday night, indicating the importance the Pakistani side attaches to the visit.\n\n> “During the visit, the Iranian foreign minister will hold meetings with Pakistan’s senior leadership to discuss the latest regional developments as well as ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability,” the statement said.\n\nThe visit comes at a delicate moment in the US-Iran standoff, with a fragile, indefinitely extended ceasefire holding on paper, while core disputes over the naval blockade, nuclear restrictions and sequ­encing of concessions remain unresolved.\n\n“Purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments. Our neighbors are our priority,” Araghchi said in a post on X before departing Tehran for a three-country tour, that also includes stops in Oman and Russia.\n\n> Pakistani officials said the Iranian minister’s trip was primarily aimed at conveying Tehran’s considered response after internal consultations.\n\nThe proposals had been handed over last week by Field Marshal Munir during his visit to Tehran, where he had carried messages from Washington as part of Islamabad’s mediation effort.\n\nDiplomatic contacts intensified ahead of the visit. Abbas Araghchi held separate telephone conversations with Dar and Field Marshal Munir, focusing on the cea­sefire and the diplomatic track. Acco­rding to the Foreign Office, Dar “under­scored the importance of sustained dialogue and engagement to address outstanding issues.”\n\n> It was after these exchanges that Pakistani government sources indicated that Araghchi was travelling to Isla­mabad and that there was a possibility of a second round of talks in Islamabad. The officials emphasized that logistical preparations were quietly under way and a US advance team was already present.\n\nHowever, signals from Tehran remained cautious. An Iranian official, speaking to _Dawn_ on background, said negotiations with US would remain on hold unless Iran’s conditions were met, particularly regarding lifting of the US naval blockade, which Tehran says is a precondition for a meaningful dialogue.\n\nThough Moscow came into spot light with Araghchi announcing that Russia was part of his regional tour, Dar too during the day spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.\n\nThe Foreign Office, in a statement on the conversation, said “FM Lavrov appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in facilitating dialogue between Iran and the United States.”\n\nDar, according to the statement, “underscored Pakistan’s resolve to continue contributing to efforts aimed at promoting dialogue and diplomacy to resolve all issues.”\n\nLater in the evening, the White House confirmed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would travel to Islamabad to “engage in talks” facilitated by Pakistan.\n\n“The Iranians reached out … asked for this in person conversation, so the president is dispatching Steve and Jared to hear what he has to say,” spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.\n\nUS officials, however, indicated that Vice President JD Vance would not immediately join the delegation, citing the absence of his Iranian counterpart, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.\n\nVance, they said, remains on standby and could travel if negotiations show progress, while members of his team are expected to be present in Islamabad.\n\nDespite these parallel movements, there is little clarity on whether direct face-to-face talks will take place. Iranian officials have consistently maintained that engagement under pressure, particularly amid the ongoing maritime blockade and recent vessel interdictions, is not acceptable.\n\nDuring the day, US media suggested that lead Iranian negotiator Bagher Ghalibaf had quit after differences with the leadership on the negotiations strategy.\n\nBut hours later, Iranian parliament’s communications section denied the claim saying Ghalibaf had not resigned and that he did not travel to Pakistan because negotiations with US had not been scheduled as yet.\n\nThe current phase follows the first round of direct talks held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which ended after more than 20 hours without agreement but kept the diplomatic channel open.\n\nSince then, exchanges have continued indirectly through Pakistan, with both sides calibrating positions while avoiding a formal breakdown.\n\nThe ceasefire, originally brokered around April 7 and 8, has been extended without a defined timeline, creating space for diplomacy but also prolonging uncertainty. Officials in Islamabad described the situation as fluid, with mediation efforts focused on bridging the sequencing gap between US demands and Iranian preconditions.\n\n_Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2026_",
  "title": "Araghchi’s Islamabad visit ‘bodes well’ for US dialogue"
}