Iran’s foreign minister arrives in Pakistan, raising hopes for US peace talks

• Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi arrived in Islamabad for US peace talks, with conflicting reports on potential meetings; Washington expressed optimism for progress.
• The US insists Iran abandon nuclear weapons for a "good deal." Previous talks failed amidst a fragile and contentious Lebanon-Israel ceasefire.
• Oil prices remained volatile. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, linking its reopening to the US lifting its shipping blockade.

ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi arrived in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on April 24 to discuss proposals for restarting peace talks with the US, offering some hope for an end to the eight-week war that has killed thousands and sown turmoil in global markets.

US President Donald Trump told Reuters on April 24 that Iran plans to make an offer aimed at satisfying US demands, but said he did not yet know what the offer entailed.

When asked who the US was negotiating with, Mr Trump said: “I don’t want to say that, but we’re dealing with the people that are in charge now.”

But Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on X that Iranian officials did not plan to meet the US representatives, even though US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner planned to travel to Islamabad. Iran’s concerns would be conveyed to Pakistan, the spokesperson said.

After a US bombing campaign and Iran’s blocking of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the two countries are at a costly impasse, with Iran’s oil exports blocked and US gasoline prices at multi-year highs.

Speaking before the Iranian foreign ministry’s statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner would leave for Pakistan on the morning of April 25 for talks with Mr Araqchi.

She struck an upbeat tone, saying the US had seen some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and hoped more would come this weekend. She added that US Vice-President J.D. Vance, who earlier this month led a first round of unsuccessful talks with Iran to end their war, is ready to travel to Pakistan as well.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Iranian statement. Pakistani sources said earlier that a US logistics and security team was already in place in Islamabad for potential talks.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed Mr Araqchi’s arrival in Islamabad, where a heavy military and paramilitary presence was visible across the central parts of the city.

Mr Araqchi went straight into a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the Serena Hotel, where the first round of talks with the US was held, two government sources said.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani pledged his country’s support for mediation efforts by Pakistan in a phone call with Mr Trump, Qatar’s state news agency reported.

Mr Araqchi wrote on X that he was visiting Pakistan, Oman and Russia to coordinate with partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments.

The tour will include consultations on the latest efforts to end the war, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson later told state media.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a briefing earlier on April 24 that Iran had a chance to make a “good deal” with the United States.

“Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely,” he said. “All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways.”

Reports on Mr Araqchi’s trip in Iranian state media and the Pakistani sources made no mention of Mr Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, who was the head of its delegation at the talks earlier this month.

The Iranian Parliament’s media office denied a report that Mr Qalibaf had resigned as head of Iran’s negotiating team, and added that there was no new round of talks scheduled yet.

The last round of peace talks had been expected to resume on April 21 but never took place, with Iran saying it was not yet ready to commit to attending, and a US delegation led by Mr Vance never leaving Washington.

Mr Trump unilaterally extended a two-week ceasefire on April 21 at the 11th hour to allow more time to reconvene the negotiators.

Oil prices remained volatile on April 24, as traders weighed potential disruption from the worst oil shock in history amid the prospect for further talks.

Brent crude futures settled at US$105.33 a barrel, about 0.3 per cent higher, while US West Texas Intermediate futures were down 1 per cent at US $9.88.

Hezbollah dismisses Lebanon ceasefire extension

On April 23, Israel and Lebanon extended a separate ceasefire for three weeks at a meeting at the White House brokered by Mr Trump.

The war in Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March to root out Iran’s Hezbollah allies after the militant group fired across the border, has run in parallel with the wider Iran war, and Tehran says a ceasefire there is a precondition for talks.

There was little sign of an end to the fighting in southern Lebanon, however, as Lebanese authorities reported two people were killed by an Israeli strike and Hezbollah downed an Israeli drone.

While the ceasefire that came into force on April 16 has led to a significant reduction in hostilities, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade blows in southern Lebanon, where Israel has kept soldiers in a self-declared “buffer zone”.

Responding to the extension, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said, “It is essential to point out that the ceasefire is meaningless in light of Israel’s insistence on hostile acts, including assassinations, shelling, and gunfire” and its demolition of villages and towns in the south.

Israel’s military said it had killed six armed Hezbollah members in southern Lebanon on April 24.

Strait of Hormuz blockade

Mr Trump said on April 23 he was in no rush to reach an agreement with Iran and wanted it to be “everlasting,” while asserting the US had an upper hand in the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy shipping route.

The US has yet to find a way to open the strait, where Iran has blocked nearly all ships apart from its own since the start of the war eight weeks ago. Iran showed off its control this week by seizing two huge cargo vessels there.

Mr Trump imposed a separate blockade of Iranian shipping last week. Iran says it will not reopen the strait until Mr Trump lifts his blockade.

Only five ships crossed the strait in the last 24 hours, shipping data showed on April 24, compared to around 130 a day before the war. Those included one Iranian oil products tanker, but none of the vast crude-carrying supertankers that normally feed global energy markets.

Container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd also said one of its ships had crossed the strait, without giving details. REUTERS