Jared Kushner enters the game. The fate of the Strait of Hormuz and the global truce hangs in the balance

US President Donald Trump has decided that special envoy Steve Witkoff and the head of state's son-in-law Jared Kushner will go to Pakistan this weekend for negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, CNN reported on Friday, citing Trump administration officials.

If talks prove promising, Vice President JD Vance may join the team.

According to the television, Vance is not currently planning to attend the meeting in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, due to the absence of the Speaker of Iran's Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. CNN reported that Ghalibaf is viewed by White House officials as the head of the Iran delegation and Vance's counterpart.

Kushner and Witkoff have been participating in talks with Iranian negotiators, including Aragchi, for months. The previous round of peace negotiations took place on April 11, also in Islamabad, but did not bring a breakthrough.

The war in the Middle East began on February 28 with Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran. Tehran responded with attacks on both Israel and Arab states in the Persian Gulf region, including American military bases and civilian facilities there, such as airports and petrochemical installations. Iran has also blocked free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, thereby halting oil exports from the Middle East.

There has been a truce in the war since April 8, which was extended this week by US President Donald Trump. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt emphasized Wednesday that Trump has not set an end date for the ceasefire. (PAP)

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