United States President Donald Trump cancelled a planned trip to Pakistan by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff for peace talks with Iran, Fox News reported on Saturday, creating another snag in the peace process between the two enemies.
The network said Trump told Fox about the trip’s cancellation.
“I’ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing,'” Trump was quoted as saying by the outlet’s White House correspondent.
Trump posted on Truth Social, stating that he cancelled a visit by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad because of infighting within Iran’s leadership.
“There is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership’. Nobody knows who is in charge, including them,” he says.
Trump also cites “too much time wasted on travelling, too much work” as reasons for cancelling the trip, reiterating that the US has “all the cards [and] they (Iran) have none”.
“If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” he adds.
Questioned by Axios whether it meant he was going to resume fighting, Trump said: “No. It doesn’t mean that. We haven’t thought about it yet.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also left Pakistan after discussing the overall situation in the region with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
FM Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday night.
A statement from the PM Office said he held a meeting with PM Shehbaz in which regional developments and bilateral ties came under discussion.
Deputy PM and FM Ishaq Dar, CDF Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi were also present.
PM Shehbaz said he had a “most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation”, adding that they discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of bilateral relations.
FM Dar said the talks lasted around two hours and PM Shehbaz emphasised the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Iran said the talks covered bilateral ties, regional and international developments, and expanding cooperation.
“Araghchi thanked Pakistan’s efforts on ceasefire and hosting talks, reaffirmed Iran’s stance on ending the war, and stressed stronger ties with neighbours. Sharif emphasised continued cooperation in bilateral and multilateral arenas.”
FM Araghchi also held a prior meeting with CDF Munir in which “an exchange of views took place on matters of mutual interest and the overall situation in the region”, said state broadcaster PTV News on X.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi termed his visit to Pakistan “very fruitful”.
In a post on X, he said, “Very fruitful visit to Pakistan, whose good offices and brotherly efforts to bring back peace to our region we very much value.
“Shared Iran’s position concerning a workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy,” he said.
A Pakistani source involved in the talks told Reuters that Araghchi delivered Tehran’s negotiating demands, as well as its reservations about US demands, to Pakistani officials.
Araqchi “explained our country’s principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran”, said a statement on the minister’s official Telegram account.
“Regional developments and bilateral ties came under discussion,” state-run Pakistan TV reported about Araghchi’s meeting with the premier.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters a day ago that Iran had a chance to make a “good deal” with the US. “Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely,” he said. “All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways.”
Washington is at a costly impasse with Tehran as Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of global oil shipments, while the US blocks Iran’s oil exports. The US-Israeli war on Iran, entering its ninth week, has pushed energy prices to multi-year highs, stoking inflation and darkening global growth prospects.
Meanwhile, FM Dar held a meeting today to review the latest developments in the region. He reiterated that Pakistan was facilitating the Iran-US talks to achieve peace and stability in the region and beyond, adding that Pakistan would continue its efforts in this regard.
He also underlined that Pakistan’s official policy statements on the Iran-US facilitation process were only those issued by official sources. “Unnamed Pakistani officials or sources, whether quoted in print or social media, do not reflect Pakistan’s official position. He advised print and electronic media to refrain from speculative reporting and focus on official statements only,” the Foreign Office said.