Iran’s foreign minister is expected to arrive in Pakistan, the main mediator between Tehran and Washington, though it was unclear if he’d meet American officials.
Abbas Araghchi is due in Islamabad on Friday and a second round of peace talks between the US and Iran is expected, according to officials in Pakistan familiar with the matter. They didn’t say when the negotiations would happen or at what level.
Iranian media said Araghchi was on a “regional tour” and would also visit Oman and Russia. The White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on whether a second round of peace talks was imminent and there was no signal that Vice President JD Vance, the lead negotiator for the US, was about to leave for Pakistan.
The announcement came as the US increased pressure on Iran with its naval blockade, seeking to get Tehran to agree to talks, while Israel and Lebanon are set to extend a ceasefire for three weeks.
President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to shoot any boat putting mines in the Strait of Hormuz, after the military intercepted two oil supertankers that tried to evade restrictions on traffic to and from Iran’s ports.
The move by Trump, who claimed Iran is laying sea mines in the strait, is part of the White House’s attempt to cut off the country’s oil exports, squeezing it economically and forcing it to make concessions that will help end the war.
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s defense secretary, on Friday said a second aircraft carrier will join the blockade in just a few days.
“I have all the time in the World, but Iran doesn’t — The clock is ticking!” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Trump’s allies say the blockade will force Iran to start shutting down crude production — its main source of foreign-exchange earnings — within about two weeks. JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts have said it may take closer to a month for the US to achieve that goal.
The US naval operation has caused many Iran-linked vessels to turn around rather than go through the Hormuz strait. Still, at least some are making the crossing, according to ship-tracking firms, potentially giving Iran the ability to withstand the restrictions for longer.
Comments