Abbas Araghchi met with Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Asim Munir in Islamabad on Saturday, according to the Iranian Embassy.
This was the Iranian foreign minister’s first working meeting after his arrival. He is also expected to meet Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The Pakistani side included Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and other officials.
The Iranian delegation comprised Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Ambassador Reza Amiri Moqadam and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei.
Araghchi arrives in Islamabad
Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad late on Friday — carrying Tehran’s formal response to proposals conveyed earlier by the United States through Pakistan — as renewed diplomatic activity gathered pace. He was received by Ishaq Dar and Asim Munir.
Ahead of the visit, he held separate telephone conversations with Dar and Field Marshal Munir, focusing on the ceasefire and the diplomatic track.
The visit comes at a delicate moment in the US-Iran standoff, with a fragile and indefinitely extended ceasefire holding on paper, while core disputes over the naval blockade, nuclear restrictions and sequencing of concessions remain unresolved.
Pakistani officials said the Iranian minister’s trip was primarily aimed at conveying Tehran’s considered response after internal consultations.
“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 his three-country tour, which also includes stops in Oman and Russia.
Witkoff, Kushner also expected in Islamabad
Araghchi reached Islamabad shortly after Karoline Leavitt said that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday for a second round of talks with Iran.
“I confirm special envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks — direct talks — intermediated by the Pakistanis, who have been incredible friends and mediators throughout this entire process, with representatives from the Iranian delegation,” she told Fox News.
“Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary, but first, Steve and Jared will be going over there to report back to the president, the vice president and the rest of the team,” Leavitt said.
She added that the president, vice president and secretary of state will remain in the United States awaiting updates, while the vice president is on standby to travel to Pakistan if required.
“The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation,” she claimed.
“The president always wants to give diplomacy a chance. It’s always his first option,” Leavitt said, adding that the US had seen some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and hoped for further gains during the weekend talks.
The current phase of US-Iran negotiations follows the first round of direct talks held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which concluded after more than 20 hours without an agreement but kept diplomatic channels open.
Since then, exchanges have continued indirectly through Pakistan, with both sides adjusting positions while avoiding a formal breakdown.
The 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.