The White House confirmed that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan on Saturday for another round of talks involving Iran aimed at ending the war. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the delegation is “to go hear” Iran’s position and expressed hope the meetings would be productive and move negotiations toward a deal. Vice President Vance, who led the previous U.S. delegation, is not traveling but remains “deeply involved” and will stay in Washington with the president, the secretary of state and the national security team for updates.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Islamabad on Friday, saying his visit was intended to coordinate on bilateral issues and consult partners about regional developments; he is also expected to visit Oman and Russia. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Araghchi is meeting senior officials, while his spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, denied a planned direct meeting with the U.S., saying Iran’s views would be conveyed to Pakistan rather than discussed face-to-face with American envoys.
The scheduled talks come as fighting across the region continues. Israel said it struck sites in southern Lebanon it identified as belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah; Hezbollah responded with rocket fire into Israel. Those strikes came despite President Trump’s announcement that Israel and Lebanon had agreed during White House talks to extend a ceasefire by three weeks. Hezbollah, which opposed those talks and was not part of them, has resisted the pause. The fragile Israel-Lebanon pause is connected to broader U.S. efforts to wind down hostilities with Iran: Tehran has insisted that fighting in Lebanon remain halted as a precondition for further negotiations.
President Trump unilaterally extended a ceasefire with Iran this week without naming a new expiration date; Iran called that move “meaningless,” citing a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and saying it would not return to talks until the blockade is lifted.
Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are disrupting global shipping. President Trump said he had ordered the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill any boat” attempting to lay mines in the strait; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the warning, calling such vessels “pirates” and “terrorists.” A Pentagon assessment shared with Congress estimated it could take up to six months to clear Iranian-laid mines fully. Some vessels with Iranian links have attempted transit, but many shipowners are avoiding the route after earlier attacks and seizures; about 20,000 seafarers have been stranded aboard ships since the start of the war. The disruption has hit more than oil: helium, fertilizer and aluminum shipments have been delayed, causing shortages and price increases.
The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on China-based Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., Ltd., accusing it of sustaining Iran’s oil economy. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is also targeting roughly 40 shipping firms and vessels alleged to be part of a clandestine tanker network that moves Iranian oil to evade sanctions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration will continue to constrict the network of vessels, intermediaries and buyers Iran relies on. Separately, the administration extended a Jones Act waiver for 60 days to ease domestic supplies of gasoline and refined products amid global disruptions, though experts say the waiver has only a limited effect on consumer gas prices.
International reactions include Spain pushing back on a reported internal Pentagon memo — attributed by Reuters to Pentagon official Elbridge Colby — that suggested measures to penalize NATO allies refusing to support U.S. actions, including proposals to suspend Spain from NATO or bar allies from top alliance posts. The Pentagon declined to comment on internal deliberations, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said official decisions are made based on government positions, not internal emails.
Pope Leo XIV urged the United States and Iran to return to negotiations and adopt “a culture of peace.” Speaking aboard the papal plane after a trip to Africa, he acknowledged the talks’ complexity but called for commitment to dialogue, holding a photograph of a young Lebanese boy killed in recent attacks and asking how to promote values without the deaths of so many innocents.