India, April 25 -- The White House said on Friday that Iranians "want to talk in person", but Tehran made it clear that there will be no direct engagement with US officials ahead of the second round of discussions between the United States and Iran in Pakistan's Islamabad.

The negotiations scheduled for Saturday come at a time when global tensions remain high due to the ongoing conflict, which has disrupted energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, created uncertainty in the world economy, and led to thousands of deaths across West Asia. Follow US-Iran talks live updates here.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Friday that "the Iranians want to talk in person" and said that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared...