Trump envoy to Pakistan heads for ceasefire talks with Iran

Trump envoy to Pakistan arrives amid fragile ceasefire talks

The United States has dispatched senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, a move billed as a last‑ditch effort to revive Iran ceasefire negotiations. The Trump envoy to Pakistan lands while an indefinite truce has stalled most combat, yet oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain choked.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met Pakistan’s military chief and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, signalling Tehran’s willingness to keep Pakistan as a conduit for indirect talks. He posted on Telegram that Tehran will stay engaged “until a result is achieved.”

“We will hear the Iranians out,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Reuters on Friday.

Pakistan has imposed tight security around the capital, with checkpoints and road closures turning daily commutes into a maze. The city’s main arteries to the airport sit largely empty as troops, paramilitary units and police maintain a visible presence.

Energy markets reacted to the diplomatic push: Brent crude slipped to ↓ $103 per barrel, though it hovered near ↑ $105 later in the day, still roughly 50% above pre‑conflict levels.

Separately, President Trump extended a 90‑day waiver of the Jones Act, easing non‑U.S. vessel transport of oil and gas in an attempt to temper price spikes caused by the near‑closure of the Hormuz corridor.

Casualties continue to mount across the region, with thousands dead in Iran, Lebanon and Israel, and U.N. peacekeepers also suffering losses.