Kushner and U.S. envoy Witkoff will head to Pakistan for new Iran talks [View all]

Source: NPR

Updated April 24, 2026 3:35 PM ET


The White House has confirmed that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are planning to travel to Pakistan Saturday for a new round of talks with Iran. Iran did not immediately confirm the talks, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday arrived in Islamabad, where Pakistan hosted direct U.S.-Iran talks earlier this month.

The news came the same day that Israel's military said it attacked southern Lebanon, targeting sites belonging to the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and the militant group fired rockets into Israel. That was despite President Trump's announcement that Israel and Lebanon agreed during White House talks Thursday to extend the ceasefire by three weeks. Hezbollah was not involved in the negotiations and has opposed them.

The shaky Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is linked to broader U.S. efforts to draw its war with Iran to a close. Tehran has insisted that the fighting in Lebanon remain paused as a precondition for further peace talks with the United States.

Trump unilaterally extended the ceasefire with Iran this week, hours before it was set to expire, without indicating a new expiration date. Iran has dismissed that extension as "meaningless," saying the continued U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports is a violation of the deal and that the Iranian delegation will not return to the negotiating table until the blockade is lifted.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/04/24/g-s1-118595/middle-east-war-updates