Published On 4/24/2026
|
Last update: 17:58 (Mecca time)
The Iranian News Agency (IRNA) said that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will begin a foreign tour today, Friday, to Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow.
The agency stated that this visit aims to “conduct bilateral consultations and discuss current developments in the region, in addition to the latest developments in the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran.”
For his part, Araqchi said in a post on social media that his trip to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow aims to “close coordination with our partners on bilateral issues and discuss regional developments.” He added: Our neighbors are a priority for us.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported, quoting a Pakistani government source, that Araqchi will meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the presence of Army Commander Asim Munir in the capital, Islamabad.
CNN quoted an American source as saying that the Iranian delegation heading to Islamabad will not meet American representatives.
Timing implications
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Islamabad, Farah Al-Zaman Shawqi, reported that the importance of this visit lies in its timing, as it comes days after the date that was scheduled to host the second round of Iranian-American discussions, pointing out the presence of a kind of Pakistani “reproach” that appeared in a post by the Minister of Information, following what appeared to be a delay in the Iranian response or refusal to participate in that round, despite the efforts made by Islamabad, which included a visit by the Pakistani Army Commander and the Interior Minister to Tehran for 3 days before the supposed date. For negotiations.
According to the Al Jazeera correspondent, Araghchi’s upcoming discussions with his counterpart and Pakistani officials may aim to prepare the ground for opening the door to exchanging messages with the American side again, amid indications of real preparations to receive the second round of negotiations, which may be held face-to-face or directly, as happened in its first round.
She indicated that these moves come in the context of attempts to “restore” the relationship with the Pakistani mediator and bring viewpoints closer, especially since they were preceded by two phone calls made by the Pakistani Army Commander and Foreign Minister with Araqchi, during which the necessity of dialogue and de-escalation was emphasized, with praise from the Iranian side for the role played by Islamabad in this path.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Washington, Fadi Mansour, confirmed that this diplomatic movement between Islamabad and Tehran is the highest of its kind since the faltering of the second round of negotiations.
The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the aforementioned talks discussed issues related to the ceasefire and the negotiations scheduled to be held in Islamabad between Washington and Tehran.
The statement stated that the Pakistani Foreign Minister stressed the necessity of continuing contacts to resolve the outstanding issues, while he apparently urged the Iranian side to sit at the negotiating table despite the points of disagreement with Washington and the continued American blockade of Iranian ports.
These contacts come after consultations conducted by the Pakistani government at the ambassadorial level, and after US President Donald Trump spoke of a division among the Iranian leadership.
A unified Iranian position
Meanwhile, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council in Iran, Sadiq Amoli Larijani, said, “Our officials stand united with their people to fulfill their rights until their last breath.”
He added that the American president “is seeking to stir up disagreement among our officials to cover up his successive defeats,” and continued, “Trump must know that there is no disagreement between us regarding confronting America and the Zionist entity.”
Yesterday, Thursday, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said that “the enemy is targeting the unity and national security of Iranians,” commenting on Trump’s statements in which he claimed that Tehran was suffering from a “power struggle.”
He added in a blog post on the
Earlier, Trump posted on his “Truth Social” platform in which he claimed that Iran was suffering from a “power struggle” and that it was facing “great difficulty in determining its leader,” noting that “the internal conflict continues in an insane manner between the extremists who are losing badly on the battlefield, and the moderates who are not that moderate but are respected,” as he put it.
American alert
Last Tuesday, Trump announced that the United States had agreed to extend the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely at the request of Pakistan, pending a unified proposal from Tehran.
Accordingly, the White House suspended Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Islamabad last Tuesday to hold a second round of talks, while Tehran refused to hold further talks, indicating that no delegation would be sent to Pakistan unless the United States lifted its blockade.
