\tSteve Witkoff (R) and Jared Kushner (L) at a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12, 2026. | Jacquelyn Martin\/pool\/AFP via Getty Images\t<\/p>\n
This story appeared in\u00a0The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life.\u00a0Subscribe here.<\/p>\n
Welcome to The Logoff: US and Iranian diplomats will meet again in Pakistan this weekend to discuss an end to the Iran war. Here\u2019s what to know:\u00a0<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the status of the ceasefire? Still in effect and extended \u201cuntil such time\u201d as Iran produces a \u201cunified proposal\u201d to end the war, according to a social media post by President Donald Trump earlier this week. In other words, likely indefinitely \u2014 or until Trump feels like doing otherwise. (It had been set to expire Tuesday evening prior to the extension.)<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s negotiating? Not Vice President JD Vance. This time, the US delegation will be led by US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and by Jared Kushner, Trump\u2019s son-in-law (who is not a government official, but does have billions of dollars of business interests with Gulf countries). Likewise, the Washington Post reports, Iran will not be sending its leading negotiating partner with the US, Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.<\/p>\n
Instead, according to the New York Times, Iran\u2019s foreign minister will present a written response to a proposed US peace deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How\u2019s the Strait of Hormuz looking? Still largely closed, as the US continues its blockade of Iranian vessels and ports, and Iran continues to bottle up any other traffic through the key waterway. Earlier this week, Iran reportedly fired on at least three vessels trying to transit the strait, and the US seized an Iranian vessel last weekend.<\/p>\n
The continued closure means that oil costs remain high as the war\u2019s impact on the global economy \u2014 including on the prices and availability of food, fuel, and consumer goods \u2014 deepens.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What comes next? We\u2019ll see what comes out of the negotiations, though some close watchers have suggested that Vance\u2019s absence is likely not an encouraging sign.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the US blockade will remain in effect: \u201cWe have total control over the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d Trump posted on Thursday. \u201cIt is \u2018Sealed up Tight,\u2019 until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!!\u201d<\/p>\n
And with that, it\u2019s time to log off\u2026<\/p>\n
Solitude has lots of benefits, my colleague Allie Volpe reports \u2014 but it\u2019s best if you do it right, and don\u2019t overdo it. You can read her excellent advice here with a gift link (think of it as advice on how to log off better).<\/p>\n
As always, thanks for reading! Have a great weekend, and we\u2019ll see you right back here on Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Steve Witkoff (R) and Jared Kushner (L) at a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12, 2026. | Jacquelyn … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-24769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n