Shortly after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi touched down in Pakistan, his government made it clear that there would be no direct negotiations with American government representatives during this visit.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmael Baqaei said on X that "No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US." Instead, Baqaei said Pakistani officials would convey messages between the delegations.
Baqaei thanked the Pakistani government for its "ongoing mediation & good offices for ending American imposed war of aggression."
The White House said earlier Friday that its envoys would meet Araghchi.
The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11–12 ended without a breakthrough, triggering intensified diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to ease tensions and revive prospects for another round of negotiations.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, giving Tehran additional time to present a unified proposal to end the conflict, just hours before the truce was due to expire.
The war reportedly began after the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran on February 28, during which Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior commanders were killed. Iran’s subsequent retaliation expanded the conflict across the wider Gulf region.
