White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had seven words Friday when asked about U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations: “hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal.”
The deadpan update came as Leavitt confirmed envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will fly to Pakistan this weekend for a second round of talks with Iran, with Pakistani officials brokering what she described as “direct talks” on Saturday.
“We’re hopeful that it will be a productive conversation, and hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal.”
A senior administration official said Vice President JD Vance is “willing to drop everything” to make the trip if needed.
Vance participated in the first round of talks on April 11 alongside Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, who is not expected at this weekend’s session amid uncertainty about his standing in Iran’s leadership.
Iranian commentator Seyed Mohammad Marandi, who accompanied the Iranian delegation during the first round of talks, disputed characterizations of the visit as direct negotiations.
“The Iranian foreign minister will not hold any negotiations with the Trump regime in Islamabad and will merely convey Iran’s considerations and views regarding the end of the war to the Pakistani side,” Marandi wrote on X.
“This meeting is a response to General Asim Munir’s trip to Tehran, and I have been informed that no negotiations with any Americans are planned during this visit.”
Iranian officials are also expected to travel to Oman and Russia following their stop in Pakistan, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
Large sections of downtown Islamabad have been closed to accommodate the high-level diplomatic activity as the U.S.-Iran conflict enters its eighth week.
Trump extended a ceasefire Tuesday that was originally set for two weeks, but has warned military pressure remains on the table if negotiations collapse.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
