The White House said on Monday that reports that Vice President Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and former presidential adviser Jared Kushner might meet with Iranian officials in Islamabad have not been confirmed.US press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said the situation remained “sensitive” and “volatile” and warned against jumping to conclusions. Responding to ANI’s query about the reported meeting, she said such developments should not be considered final unless officially announced by the White House.
“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the media. This is a fluid situation and speculation about meetings should not be considered final until an official announcement is made from the White House,” she said.
Reports point to Islamabad as possible venue
Previously, multiple reports from Reuters, the Financial Times and the Times of Israel stated that mediating countries are trying to hold US-Iran talks in Islamabad, and the talks may be held within a few days. According to these reports, Pakistan has used its ties with Washington and Tehran to position itself as a neutral site. Contacts are said to be ongoing, with a senior Israeli official noting that “contacts are ongoing” to organize a meeting involving senior representatives from both sides. Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir also spoke to US President Donald Trump, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held multiple conversations with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Financial Times reported.
Back channel diplomacy, but no formal talks
Diplomacy has intensified in recent days, with Pakistan, Türkiye and Egypt engaging in back-channel activities alongside U.S. envoy Vitkov and Iranian officials, Reuters reported.However, Tehran has denied any direct talks with Washington since the conflict began.“In the past few days, some friendly countries have received messages from the United States demanding an end to the war through negotiations,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bakkai said, adding that “appropriate responses have been made.”Analysts say these efforts are still in their preliminary stages. Sanam Vakil of Chatham House told the Financial Times that countries were “scrambling” to de-escalate the situation, but added, “I don’t think this is any sign that the war is coming to an end.”
Trump signals pause, markets react
The diplomatic push comes after Trump said the United States would suspend strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure for five days after what he called “very good and productive” talks.“We’re going to do a five-day study and see how it goes. If it goes well, we’ll finally solve this problem. Otherwise, we’re going to keep bombarding our little hearts,” he said.Al Jazeera quoted U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum as saying he was confident in the outreach, saying: “President Trump will solve this problem and I am very confident that as chief dealmaker he will get a win-win deal for the American people.”He added that the government was aware of the risks to global energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. “We are fully aware of this,” he said.Oil markets reacted to the developments, with Brent crude falling 10.9% to close at $99.94 after briefly approaching $120 last week, while the S&P 500 rose 1.1%, Al Jazeera reported.
Pakistan walks a tightrope under regional pressure
Pakistan’s mediation efforts are aimed at balancing competing strategic interests. Islamabad has adopted a cautious diplomatic approach, condemning the attack on Iran while urging de-escalation.It maintains strong ties with Saudi Arabia, including a defense pact, and also has border and economic ties with Iran. At the same time, it is seeking closer engagement with the United States.“Pakistan positions itself as a mediator between the United States and Iran, but that is not convincing,” Edmund Fitton-Brown of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital.
