Washington– Iran’s top diplomat is expected to travel to Pakistan by the end of this week for talks, two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press on Friday, raising hopes for a revival of negotiations in the Iran-U.S. war.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to be accompanied by a small government delegation and may arrive on Friday, the officials said, without providing further details. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Iran did not immediately acknowledge Araghchi’s trip.
Islamabad sought to restore momentum to negotiations, which were scheduled to resume this week but did not take place, to end the war that has left thousands dead across the Middle East, rocked energy markets and clouded the global economic picture.
Separately, the White House said Friday that President Donald Trump issued a 90-day extension of the Jones Act waiver, making it easier for non-U.S. ships to transport oil and natural gas in the wake of the war.
Trump first announced a 60-day waiver in mid-March, a move seen as helping to stabilize energy prices and making it easier for more ships to travel to the United States after the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
“New data collected since the initial waiver was issued revealed that more supplies were able to reach US ports faster,” the post by a White House press aide said on social media.
The price of Brent crude, the international standard, fell following this news, falling to about $104 per barrel. It had earlier risen to more than $107, a level nearly 50% higher than on February 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran to start the war.
As part of diplomatic efforts, earlier on Friday, Araqchi and Pakistani officials discussed the details of a ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, as part of Islamabad’s efforts to push Iran to send a delegation for a second round of negotiations with Washington.
Pakistan is trying to bring American and Iranian officials back to the negotiating table after Trump announced this week that the agreement was postponed indefinitely Extending the ceasefire with IranIn respect of Islamabad’s request for more time for diplomatic engagement.
Which It did not reduce tensions in Strait The strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas is shipped during peacetime.
Iran has maintained its grip on traffic through the strait, attacking three ships earlier this week, while the United States has continued its blockade of Iranian ports and ordered the military to close the strait. “Shooting and killing” on small boats Mine can be set.
Washington now has three aircraft carriers in the region after the USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier arrived in the Indian Ocean this week. The USS Abraham Lincoln is in the Arabian Sea and the USS Gerald R. Ford in the Red Sea.
This is the first time since 2003 that three American airlines have operated in the region simultaneously. US Central Command said the force includes 200 aircraft and 15,000 sailors and Marines.
A statement issued by Araqchi said that Araqchi, his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, and Pakistani Army Commander Field Marshal Asim Munir spoke in their call on Friday about “regional developments and issues related to the ceasefire.” He did not go into further details.
Later, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said, “The two sides exchanged views on regional developments, the ceasefire, and Islamabad’s ongoing diplomatic efforts in the context of US-Iranian engagement.”
She added that Dar “stressed the importance of continued dialogue and engagement to address the outstanding issues in order to promote regional peace and stability as soon as possible.”
Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, and more than 2,290 people have been killed in Lebanon, where new fighting broke out between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group two days after the war began, according to authorities.
In addition, 23 people died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. 15 Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon and 13 American soldiers were killed throughout the region.
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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Rising from Bangkok. Aamer Madhani in Washington and Jamey Kitten in Geneva contributed to this report.