Senior US officials may return to Pakistan for Iran talks in a few days, sources said

Washington – Amidst the blockade of American warships in the ports and coast of Iran in the narrow sea area of ​​the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration to measure the renewed diplomatic push which could return senior officials to Pakistan within days, according to several people familiar with the talks.

Although it is still being tested, the effort is the same intended to stimulate discussion and Iranian representatives in hopes of reaching a long-term peace deal with Tehran. No firm date had been finalized as of Friday morning, but talks could resume on Monday, underscoring the fluidity and uncertainty of the talks.

At the center of the potential engagement is Vice President JD Vance, who is expected to return to Islamabad, where talks are taking place quietly. He will likely be joined by Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, who has played an active role in the administration’s efforts to broker deals in the region.

Mr. Trump called various reporters on Friday and made several complaints about the matter. He told Bloomberg’s Kate Sullivan that he had not yet decided who would lead the next round of in-person negotiations. The president said it would be a group that would include Vance, Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law.

The president told NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer that Iran has agreed to stop enriching uranium. Axios’ Barak Ravid said Mr. Trump expects a deal with Iran “in a day or two.”

The observed visit follows extensive talks last week in Islamabad, where Vance led several hours of talks with Iranian negotiators. Those talks ended without success, leaving key disputes unresolved – including the scope of Iran’s nuclear activities and the conditions for ending the war that began in February.

Still, officials on both sides have struck a more moderate tone publicly, suggesting that diplomacy, while difficult, is far from over. American officials have indicated that they are willing to continue negotiations as military operations continue. Iran’s representatives, meanwhile, have signaled a cautious openness to further talks, although they have stressed that any meaningful progress will require a concession that Washington has so far been reluctant to give.

Meanwhile, top Western leaders met in Paris on Friday for emergency talks aimed at protecting freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy supplies.

French President Emmanuel Macron will host the meeting in person with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, underscoring the level of concern among major European powers as tensions continue in the region.

More than 30 additional representatives from Europe, Asia and Latin America are expected to join, reflecting the broad international support linked to the waterway, which carries about 20% of the world’s oil exports.

The talks could discuss a range of possible measures, according to the French official, including a combined naval escort for commercial vessels, increased mine clearance operations and improved intelligence sharing. The official said the organizers are still in contact with the United States and Iran. Neither country, nor Israel, participated directly in Friday’s talks.

But as authorities navigate diplomatic solutions, commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz has its own danger pit: mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

US officials he told CBS News reported in March that there were at least a dozen Iranian underwater mines on a key road. Iran has historically enjoyed a number of thousands of sea mines that are mainly produced by Tehran, China or Russia.

On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent to X, “In accordance with the cease-fire in Lebanon, the passage of all commercial ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz has been declared completely open for the remainder of the ceasefire, in the combined route as announced by the Ports and Maritime Organization of the Islamic Rep. of Iran.”

However, the US Navy sent an advisory to dispatch captains that the mine threat in parts of the Strait of Hormuz “[are] which cannot be fully understood and avoided [the] should be considered,” according to a US Navy advisory reviewed by CBS News.

Mr. Trump said on Truth Social that Iran, with the help of the United States, will remove all the mines from the crisis.