After days of stalemate, thesecond round of US-Iran talksin Islamabad is likely to be held this weekend, but without the high-profile figures who defined the first meeting. The absence of key leaders like Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and United States Vice President JD Vance has raised questions about the intent of the two sides and possible outcomes. The US delegation is expected to pick up from the April 11 talks, which failed to get a clear commitment from Iran on its nuclear fuel enrichment programme. The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue.

The Iranian delegation headed by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan earlier today. Iran said that there would be no direct negotiations with the representatives of the American government. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on X that "No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US." Instead, Baqaei said Pakistani officials would convey messages between the delegations.

However, the White House said that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to Pakistan and are likely to engage with “direct talks” with the Iranians. "I can confirm special envoy Witoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks, direct talks inter mediated by the Pakistanis, who have been incredible friends and mediators throughout this entire process, with representatives from the Iranian delegation," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.

The second round of talks is likely to be held without the key figures who headlined the opening round - MB Ghalibaf and JD Vance.

According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, JD Vance will not be travelling to Pakistan for next round of talks. "He'll be standing by here in the United States, along with the president and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the entire national security team for updates. And, of course, everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary," she said. "But first, Steve and Jared will be going over there to report back to the president, the vice president and the rest of the team," Leavitt said.

Ghalibaf, who headed the Iranian delegation during the first round of talks, had reportedly quit the negotiations team. Israeli broadcaster N12 reported earlier this week that Ghalibaf had resigned from his role due to interference from the country's Revolutionary Guard.

However, the claim was quickly disputed by multiple sources close to Tehran. Arash Azizi, a writer for The Atlantic, posted on X that a source in Tehran told him Ghalibaf had "NOT resigned or pushed out from the Iranian negotiation team" and that the Channel 12 report "is a joke."

Iranian journalist Mohammad Ghaderi was equally dismissive, writing on X that the story was "completely false" and calling it "ridiculous news" that had been picked up and republished by Al Arabiya without verification.

Apoorva Shukla is a journalist at Times Now, where she thrives on dissecting political developments both at home and abroad. A graduate of Delhi Univ...View More

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