The White House said on Wednesday that Pakistan is being considered as the venue for a second round of talks between the United States and Iran, expressing optimism about the prospects of a deal.

“We feel good about the prospects of a deal,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, confirming that discussions are underway and that further talks would “very likely” take place in Islamabad.

She described Pakistan as the sole mediator in the ongoing negotiations, praising its role as “exceptional and remarkable” in facilitating dialogue between Washington and Tehran.

The development comes as a high-level Pakistani delegation, led by Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to advance diplomatic efforts.

According to sources, the delegation is expected to discuss the next phase of negotiations between the two sides.

The renewed push follows more than 20 hours of talks held in Islamabad earlier, which ended without a breakthrough as both sides remained divided on key issues, including Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes, the Strait of Hormuz, and US sanctions.

The conflict, which began on February 28 with a joint US-Israel campaign against Iran, has significantly escalated regional tensions and disrupted global energy routes.

A temporary two-week ceasefire was announced on April 8 after mediation efforts led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had invited both sides to Islamabad for dialogue.

Despite the lack of agreement, Pakistan has continued backchannel diplomacy to bridge differences.

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that Tehran and Washington are exchanging messages through Pakistan, underscoring Islamabad’s growing role as a key intermediary in the crisis.