Uncertainty prevails in contacts between the United States and Iran, as the two sides give different accounts of whether progress will be made.
The White House said that envoys Stiv Whitcoff and Jarrett Kushner are travelling to Pakistan to participate in peace talks with the Iranian side.
Although Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, is in Islamabad for talks, Iranian media make it clear that no meeting with US officials is planned.
Specifically, according to Tasnim and Nournews, any communication will be through Pakistani mediators. This limits the chances of immediate progress.
The ambiguity around contacts is not new. Lately, there have been frequent conflicting reports about whether the two countries are talking.
In late March, Donald Trump spoke of “productive talks”. At the same time, Tehran denied it. However, an Iranian source admitted there had been some contact, leaving open the possibility that proposals could be considered.
High-level talks were held in early April in Pakistan, with no agreement.
After a few days Iranian state media claimed there were no plans for a new round of negotiations, denying what Pakistani sources and Western media reported about a possible continuation of talks in Islamabad.
