Witkoff Confirms Pakistan Mediates Iran-US; Trump Eyes Oil Control

Steve Witkoff has confirmed that Pakistan is playing an important role in passing messages between the United States and Iran, as tensions remain high and direct talks have not yet started.

Officials say communication between the two sides is happening indirectly, with Pakistan helping to relay proposals and responses, while other countries are also supporting efforts to reduce the conflict.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump suggested that stronger measures are still being considered, including the possibility of taking control of Iran’s oil resources, as pressure builds on Tehran to agree to a deal.

The situation remains uncertain, with both sides exchanging messages but no formal negotiations taking place so far.

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US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that taking control of Iran’s oil was an “option,” comparing it to the deal Washington made with Venezuela after toppling Nicolas Maduro.

“It’s an option,” Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting when asked if he was looking to take control of Iran’s oil, saying that the United States had done “very well” with Venezuela’s reserves.

While,Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday to take negotiations seriously and move toward ending nearly a month-long conflict, after Abbas Araqchi stated that Tehran is only reviewing a US proposal and not engaging in peace talks.

The ongoing conflict has intensified economic and humanitarian pressures globally, with fuel shortages spreading and forcing governments and businesses to manage the impact.

According to Ishaq Dar, indirect communication between Washington and Tehran is underway through Pakistan, with additional mediation support from countries like Turkiye and Egypt.

However, Araqchi dismissed these exchanges as informal messaging rather than negotiations, emphasizing that Iran’s current stance is to continue resistance and defend its territory, with no plans for dialogue.

Meanwhile, Trump claimed on social media that Iran had been severely weakened militarily and urged its leaders to act quickly, warning that delays could lead to irreversible consequences.

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Though Araqchi’s comments suggested some willingness by Tehran to negotiate an end to the war if Iranian demands were met, any such talks would likely prove very difficult given the maximalist positions laid out by both sides.

A 15-point US proposal to end the conflict includes demands ranging from dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme and curbing its missiles to effectively handing over control of the Strait of Hormuz, according to sources and reports.

But Iran has hardened its stance since the war began, demanding guarantees against future military action, compensation for losses, and formal control of the Strait, Iranian sources say. It also told intermediaries that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire deal, regional sources said.

Trump has not identified who the US is negotiating with in Iran, with many high-ranking officials among the thousands of people killed across the Middle East since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

Iran has since launched strikes against Israel, US bases and Gulf states.

An Iranian embassy official in Islamabad said talks in Islamabad were still on the table and Pakistan was the preferred venue for Tehran.

On ⁠Thursday, Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, triggering air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and other areas and injuring at least five people.

In Iran, strikes hit a residential zone in the southern city of Bandar Abbas and a village on the outskirts of the southern city of Shiraz, where two teenage brothers were killed, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said.

A university building in Isfahan was reported to have been hit.

Israeli officials said Israel had killed the naval commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and that it had many more targets left as it degraded Iranian capabilities.

Still, Israel took Araqchi and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf off its hit-list after Pakistan urged Washington to press Israel not to target people ⁠who could be negotiating partners, a Pakistani source with knowledge of the discussion told Reuters.

A senior Israeli defence official said Israel was sceptical that Iran would agree to terms proposed by the US, and was concerned that US negotiators might make concessions.

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Hopes of a resolution to the conflict that had boosted global stock markets in the previous session dimmed on Thursday, with oil prices resuming their surge.

The fallout from the conflict, which has caused the worst ⁠energy shock in history, has spread far beyond the region.

With the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, effectively closed, businesses from airlines to supermarkets and used-car dealers are grappling with challenges including rising costs, weakening demand and disrupted supply chains.

Some governments are weighing support measures last used during the COVID pandemic. Farmers are struggling to source diesel for their tractors and tens of millions more people ⁠will face acute hunger if the war continues into June, the World Food Programme estimates.

Sultan Al Jaber, the CEO of Abu Dhabi state oil company ADNOC, accused Iran of “economic terrorism”.

“No country can be allowed to destabilize the global economy in this way. Not now. Not ever,” Al Jaber said in a speech in the US on Wednesday.

Exchanges of missiles and drones across the Gulf continued on Thursday.

In Abu Dhabi, two people were killed and three others injured by debris from an intercepted ballistic missile, the government said.