The White House announced Friday that its Iran negotiating team, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will be heading back to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday for another round of ceasefire talks with the Iranians. That announcement was made in a press gaggle by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt:
"The President has decided to dispatch @SEPeaceMissions and @jaredkushner back to Islamabad," says @PressSec.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 24, 2026
President Trump "is always willing to give diplomacy a chance... We hope progress will be made." pic.twitter.com/HTk9inxVFn
The president was flexible in granting an extension of the ceasefire throughout this time. The president has decided to dispatch Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner back to Islamabad. The Iranians want to talk—they want to talk in person. And so the President is, as I've said many, many times to all of you, always willing to give diplomacy a chance.
So Steve and Jared will be heading to Pakistan tomorrow to hear the Iranians out. We hope progress will be made, and we hope that positive developments will come from this meeting. Uh, and we'll see. The president, the vice president, Secretary of State will be waiting here in the United States for updates.The vice president is on standby, willing to dispatch to Pakistan if he feels it's a necessary use of his time.
This announcement comes after the last round of negotiations melted down.
BACKGROUND
New: Peace Talks With Iranian Regime Have Failed, Vance Gives Details From Islamabad – RedState
Trump: New Iran Talks Could Kick Off in Pakistan Within 48 Hours – RedState
President Trump Throws Cold Water on Hopes for a Peace Agreement in Islamabad – RedState
How much of this is real and how much is some Washington-Tehran kabuki where both sides know they are at an impasse and neither wants the onus of going back to kinetic means of conflict resolution is anyone's guess.
Leavitt says the Iranians want to talk. Given the state of play as I laid it out Thursday, see Trump’s Iran Ceasefire Wavers As Tehran Stalls, Hardliners Rise, and U.S. Goals Remain Unmet – RedState, I find this hard to credit. First, Iran is continuing to violate the single provision of the ceasefire that anyone cares about: free navigation of the Strait of Hormuz. Not only have neutral ships been fired upon, boarded, and pirated in the strait (see Iran Claims It Fired on and Seized Ships - but There's More to the Story – RedState and IRGC Releases Video of Seizure of Ships to Make Them Look Tough - It Only Makes Them Look Silly – RedState), but the Iranians have resumed laying mines in Hormuz. This prompted President Trump to issue a warning Thursday; see Trump Puts Iran's Small IRGC Boats on Notice: Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes – RedState.
I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine “sweepers” are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
The U.S. now has three carrier strike groups and two Marine Expeditionary Units in the area of operations. This can't be sustained indefinitely. Tehran is clearly hunkered down and trying to wait out Trump's ability to keep the current combat power available for operations. The decision Trump has to make is whether he is willing to accept a lot less than the "unconditional surrender' and the four stated goals of the operation and try to spin and gaslight the nation into accepting that as a victory, or does he go to war to impose his will on an implacable enemy of 47 years.
Bottom line:
No one on the U.S. team can make a deal. Anything offered by the Iranians has to come back to Washington.
No one on the Iranian team can make a deal; in fact, it is doubtful that they can offer any concessions on Trump's four key demands and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The decision not to send Vice President Vance indicates there are no expectations of a breakthrough.
The Iranians asking for talks without any intention of giving Trump what he wants is the same strategy Nicolás Maduro used to such great success.
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