US-Iran Talks in Pakistan Saturday: Kushner and Witkoff Head to Islamabad — What a Deal or Collapse Means for Oil and Markets

# US-Iran Talks in Pakistan Saturday: Kushner and Witkoff Head to Islamabad — What a Deal or Collapse Means for Oil and Markets

> **Quick answer:** White House envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff fly to Islamabad Saturday April 26 for what Washington calls direct Iran talks. Tehran flatly denies any direct meeting is planned. With Brent at $104 and Goldman Sachs flagging a $120 Q3 scenario if Hormuz stays blocked, this is the weekend wildcard that could move markets before Monday's open — in either direction.

The weekend before Monday's market open just became a geopolitical coin flip. US-Iran talks in Pakistan on Saturday April 26 are either the beginning of a deal that crashes oil back toward $85, or another botched negotiation round that sends Brent crude toward $120 — and neither side is telling the same story about whether talks are even happening.

Here is everything investors need to know before the New York open on Monday April 28.

## What the White House Is Saying: "The Iranians Want to Talk"

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Friday that President Trump was dispatching two of his closest diplomatic operators — special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior advisor Jared Kushner — to Islamabad on Saturday morning for what she described as "direct talks" with Iranian officials.