Araghchi leads Iranian delegation to Islamabad as US confirms delegation visit to Pakistan

• FM Abbas Araghchi received by DPM/FM Dar, CDF Asim Munir, interior minister and other senior officers

• Iran’s state media, while confirming the visit, said that Araghchi would hold ‘bilateral consultations’

• White House announces US envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to depart for Pakistan

• US logistics and security team already in Islamabad as second round of US–Iran talks expected to gain momentum

• Iran confirms FM Araghchi’s broader regional tour covering Islamabad, Muscat, Moscow

• White House confirms ‘direct talks’ with Pakistani intermediation, highlighting Pakistan’s role as key mediator

 ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad Friday night as White House also announced that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday, amid renewed anticipation for a much-awaited second round of peace talks between the United States and Iran.

Confirming the development, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Friday that an Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had arrived in Islamabad.

🔊PR No.1️⃣0️⃣8️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣

Visit of the Iranian Delegation to Pakistan

🔗⬇️ pic.twitter.com/6FtrwOCbou

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) April 24, 2026

He said FM Araghchi-led delegation was received by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi and other senior officials.

“During the visit, the Iranian foreign minister will hold meetings with Pakistan’s senior leadership to discuss the latest regional developments as well as ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability,” he added.

Pleased to receive and welcome my brother, Foreign Minister of Iran, H. E. Abbas Araghchi @Araghchi, to Islamabad, alongside Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Look forward to our meaningful engagements aimed at promoting regional peace and… pic.twitter.com/XHrqXijgqx

— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) April 24, 2026

Earlier, Pakistani sources said that FM Araghchi was expected to arrive in Islamabad with a “small negotiating team.”

The sources indicated that preparations for the next phase of engagement were underway, with a US logistics and security team already present in Islamabad, signalling potential momentum toward the resumption of negotiations.

However, Iran’s state media, while confirming the visit, said that Araghchi would hold “bilateral consultations”.

“Iran’s foreign minister will begin a regional tour on Friday evening, April 24, travelling to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow,” the official IRNA news agency said.

“The purpose of this trip is to hold bilateral consultations, discuss ongoing developments in the region, and review the latest situation regarding the war imposed by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran,” it said.

Foreign Minister @araghchi arrived in Islamabad to meet with high-ranking Pakistani officials with the aim of close coordination between the two countries on bilateral issues and to consult on regional developments. pic.twitter.com/HoK3qsxEym

— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) April 24, 2026

Earlier in the day, Araghchi himself said in a post on the social media platform X that he was embarking on a “timely tour” of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow.

Embarking on timely tour of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow.

Purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments.

Our neighbors are our priority.

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 24, 2026

“The purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments. Our neighbours are our priority,” he said.

FM Araghchi termed the trip a “timely tour,” emphasizing coordination with regional partners.

 Witkoff, Kushner also expected in Islamabad

Iranian delegation arrived shortly after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US Special Envoy on the Middle East Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday for a second round of talks with Iran.

“I confirm special envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks — direct talks — intermediated by the Pakistanis, who have been incredible friends and mediators throughout this entire process, with representatives from the Iranian delegation,” she told Fox News.

BREAKING: Karoline Leavitt confirms Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will head back to Pakistan tomorrow for peace talks with Iran.@AmericaRpts @johnrobertsFox pic.twitter.com/npLePI513c

— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 24, 2026

“Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary, but first, Steve and Jared will be going over there to report back to the president, the vice president and the rest of the team,” Leavitt said.

“The president, the vice president, the secretary of state, will be waiting here in the United States for updates, and the vice president, I understand, is on standby and will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it’s a necessary use of his time,” she said.

“The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation,” she claimed.

“The president always wants to give diplomacy a chance. It’s always his first option, and he’s willing to do that here again,” Leavitt said.

She added that the US had seen some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and hoped more would be made in weekend talks.

 Dar underscores need for sustained dialogue and engagement

The development comes hours after Ishaq Dar held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Araghchi, during which both sides exchanged views on the fragile US-Iran ceasefire and Islamabad’s ongoing diplomatic efforts, the Foreign Office said in a post on X.

DPM/FM Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 received a call today from Foreign Minister of Iran H.E. Abbas Araghchi @Araghchi.

Both sides exchanged views on regional developments, the ceasefire, and ongoing diplomatic efforts being pursued by Islamabad in the context of… pic.twitter.com/eJ1fuVTVKE

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) April 24, 2026

Dar underscored the need for sustained dialogue and engagement to address outstanding issues and advance regional peace, while Araghchi appreciated Pakistan’s “consistent and constructive facilitation role.” Both leaders agreed to remain in close contact.

The first round of what were described as historic direct talks between Washington and Tehran took place in Islamabad on April 11–12, following a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire on April 8. While the talks ended without a formal agreement, they also avoided a breakdown, keeping diplomatic channels open.

However, momentum toward a second round has been slowed by persistent friction, particularly over Iran’s reported closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a continuing US blockade of Iranian ports.

In recent days, Pakistan has intensified diplomatic outreach to bring both sides back to the table. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday met US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker in Islamabad to discuss prospects for the next round of talks.

A day earlier, US President Donald Trump had expressed cautious optimism, suggesting negotiations could resume within days despite lingering mistrust. “It’s possible,” he said in remarks reported by the New York Post, referring to the prospect of talks in Islamabad within a 36 to 72-hour window.

 US exhausted billions of dollars worth of weapons stockpile in war on Iran: NYT report

In related development, the United States has drained much of its weapons stockpile, totalling up to billions of dollars, in its war on Iran, according to a New York Times investigation.

The weapons, as per the NYT, included over 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles — each worth more than $4 million. According to the report, the US has “burned through around 1,100 of its long-range stealth cruise missiles built for a war with China, close to the total number remaining in the US stockpile”.

Also included in the stockpile used were over 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles — around ten times the US military’s annual stock.

Citing internal Defence Department estimates and congressional officials, NYT reported that over 1,000 Precision Strike and ATACMS ground-based missiles were used, “leaving inventories worryingly low”.

Further, around 1,100 JASSM-ER missiles were used — each worth around $1.1m — leaving only 1,500 in the military’s stock.

The report said that the existing situation had left the US military “less ready” to confront threats from Russia and China.

While the US has not yet disclosed the total number of munitions used in the war, officials told NYT that the 13,000 targets hit figure cited by the Pentagon masked the “vast number of bombs and missiles it used because warplanes, attack planes and artillery typically strike large targets multiple times”.

Citing two independent groups, the report said that total expense was between $28bn and $35bn, “or just under $1bn a day”. Defence officials told NYT that the first two days of war had led to the US military using $5.6bn worth of munitions.

As per the NYT, the Defence Department was “still waiting for Congress to approve additional funding before it can pay manufacturers to replenish the military’s drained supplies”.

However, despite the Trump administration announcing agreements with major defence contractors, officials told NYT that the Pentagon was “still scrambling to find the funding it needs”.

“The US has many munitions with adequate inventories, but some critical ground-attack and missile-defence munitions were short before the war and are even shorter now,” Mark F. Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and a senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told the NYT.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a statement to the NYT that “the entire premise of this story is false.”

“The United States of America has the most powerful military in the world, fully loaded with more than enough weapons and munitions, in stockpiles here at home and all around the globe, to effectively defend the homeland and achieve any military operation directed by the commander in chief,” NYT quoted her as saying.

The report also cited a study by the American Enterprise Institute — compiled by Elaine McCusker, a senior Pentagon official during the first Trump administration — which said the total cost of the war so far has been between $25bn and $35bn.

The report also recalled that the USS Abraham Lincoln was moved from the South China Sea to the Middle East before the war began, and another aircraft carrier — USS George HW Bush — has been moved to the region as well.

The NYT also reported that the Patriot missiles from the THAAD system in South Korea had been moved as well.