Witkoff, Kushner from US, Aragchi, Ghalibaf from Iran to attend talks in Islamabad

US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are likely to represent the US in talks with the Iranian side in Islamabad starting Friday, a senior Pakistani official told Anadolu on Wednesday after the South Asian nation secured a ceasefire between the two warring sides.

The Iranian side, the official said, wishing not to be named, could be represented by Tehran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi and the speaker of the parliament, Bagher Ghalibaf.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who played an active role in negotiating an end to 39 days of fighting, will also join the landmark talks, the official added.

There was no official announcement from either side regarding their representation in the talks.

US President Donald Trump appeared to confirm that Witkoff and Kushner will fly to Islamabad for talks with the Iranian side.

However, Trump told the New York Post that US Vice President Vance may skip as “there’s a question of safety, security.”

Trump said the in-person talks would happen “very soon, actually -- it’s going to take place very soon.”

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif early Wednesday announced a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran as well across the conflict-hit region.

Later, Sharif said the delegations from the US and Iran would arrive in Islamabad on Friday to hold talks.

Islamabad has been facilitating indirect talks between Washington and Tehran.

Tehran has confirmed its participation in the talks, while the format of negotiations remains unknown.

Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, saying Tehran presented a “workable” 10-point proposal for negotiations.

The ceasefire announcement came less than two hours before the expiration of a deadline Trump had repeatedly extended for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept an agreement or face “the destruction of an entire civilization.”

Regional tensions escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,400 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.