White House named Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Pakistan for further discussions aimed at addressing the escalating conflict with Iran.
Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, is married to Ivanka Trump. He served as a senior adviser during Trump’s first presidential term and was closely involved in major foreign policy initiatives. Although he currently holds no official government position, he has remained active in international diplomacy, including reported involvement in negotiations between Israel and Hamas last year.
He remained heavily involved in Middle East diplomacy during Trump’s first term, particularly in shaping the Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. Although he no longer holds a government position, he remains active in international business and is occasionally linked to backchannel diplomatic efforts.
Both Witkoff and Kushner are seen as influential non-traditional diplomatic actors, playing central roles in sensitive negotiations outside the formal State Department structure.
Confusion and tension surround the planned meeting in Islamabad as US insists its delegation, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will arrive in Pakistan on Saturday.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is already in Islamabad, but Tehran insists his visit is part of a broader regional diplomatic tour Iran firmly denies any plan for direct US–Iran nuclear negotiations in Pakistan.
Iranian officials continue to express deep mistrust of Washington, emphasizing military readiness while hardline factions insist Iran’s nuclear program is “completely off the negotiating table.”
At the same time, Iran’s National Security Committee chief Ibrahim Azizi said that nuclear discussions are a “red line” and will not be handled by the foreign minister during his Pakistan visit, which he says is limited strictly to bilateral matters with Islamabad.
United States is demanding that Iran fully dismantle its nuclear program as part of any final peace agreement. However, Iranian leadership maintains that uranium enrichment and nuclear activity remain non-negotiable, directly clashing with US demands and escalating fears of further confrontation.
