Iran top envoy expected in Islamabad Friday night: official
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivers a statement during a High-Level Segment of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 24 2025. EPA-Yonhap
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday night, an official source in Pakistan said, without providing details about who he was likely to meet.
The Pakistan capital has been gearing up for an anticipated second round of talks between the United States and Iran, but it was not clear whether Araghchi and the delegation accompanying him would meet any U.S. officials to discuss the Middle East war.
Islamabad had a heavy security presence on Friday, with checkpoints around the city and road closures in the "red zone" surrounding the expected negotiation venue.
Pakistan has emerged as the lead mediator in efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war, but following a marathon first session of talks on April 11 Tehran has so far declined to send a delegation to Islamabad for a second round.
It was not clear whether U.S. Vice President JD Vance or other senior U.S. administration officials were set to return to Pakistan, weeks after he announced he was leaving without a deal.
U.S. logistics and security teams are present in Islamabad, the Pakistani official source said.
AFP journalists saw several U.S. military aircraft landing at an airbase in nearby Rawalpindi earlier in the week.
Iran on Friday confirmed that Araghchi had held phone calls with Pakistan's powerful army chief Asim Munir as well as the country's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, both of whom played a key role in earlier mediation.