Diplomatic back-channels are rarely straightforward, but Washington’s latest play around Iran talks is complicated even by its own standards.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two of Donald Trump’s most trusted envoys, are set to fly to Pakistan as part of an effort to keep indirect nuclear negotiations with Tehran alive. The trip comes after several rounds of Omani-brokered talks, and suggests the White House is casting its net wider when it comes to finding neutral ground.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is already in Islamabad, reportedly for separate diplomatic engagements. Tehran has been quick to throw cold water on the optics, though. Iranian officials confirmed there is no direct meeting planned between Araghchi and the American delegation, calling reports of a face-to-face encounter premature at best.
That denial matters. Iran has consistently refused to be seen sitting across a table from Trump’s people, partly for domestic political reasons and partly because Supreme Leader Khamenei has made scepticism of American intent something close to official doctrine. Any perception of capitulation, even a coffee with Kushner, carries real risk for the government back in Tehran.
“The Islamic Republic is engaged in diplomacy through proper channels,” an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said, without elaborating on what those channels currently look like.
Pakistan, for its part, has long tried to position itself as a bridge between the Gulf and the wider Muslim world. Hosting both delegations simultaneously, even if they never share a room, is the kind of quiet influence Islamabad tends to value enormously.
Witkoff has been the more visible face of Trump’s regional diplomacy lately, having played a central role in Gaza ceasefire discussions earlier this year. Kushner, who helped broker the Abraham Accords during Trump’s first term, brings a different kind of relationship capital to the table.
The clock is not exactly neutral here. Trump has publicly stated he wants a deal with Iran within weeks, not months, while simultaneously leaving military options on the table. That combination of pressure and outreach is either clever leverage or a contradiction, depending on who you ask in Tehran.
Whether proximity in the same city eventually turns into proximity in the same room remains to be seen. But somebody thought it was worth the flight.
