US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday (local time) that he is canceling a visit by US envoys to Pakistan to engage in peace talks with an Iranian delegation.
In an interview with Fox News, he said: “I told my people a while ago that they were going to fly out and I said, ‘No, you’re not flying there for 18 hours. We’ve got all the cards. They can call us whenever they want, but you’re not going to do any more 18-hour flights to sit and talk about nothing.’
This happened after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation flew out of Pakistan’s Islamabad on Saturday (local time) following talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other top officials, Reuters reported.
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Araghchi leaves without meeting the American delegation
While details of the talks were scant, Araghchi laid out Tehran’s demands and its reservations about Washington’s positions as Islamabad tries again to end a war that has killed thousands in the Middle East and rocked global energy markets.
According to a spokesman for the Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry, Araghchi was only meeting with Pakistani officials to convey “country observations”, with no talks planned with the US delegation.
The development comes a day after Araghchi arrived in Islamabad for bilateral talks, a move that was expected to bring signs of a renewed peace deal between the US and Iran. While Islamic Republic officials have made it clear they do not plan to meet the US delegation, the White House has previously said Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan on Saturday.
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The two countries have reached an impasse after Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but key waterway responsible for transporting a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments, while the US enforced a naval blockade of Iran’s ports.
Iran makes demands, sets positions
According to a statement posted on the minister’s official Telegram account, Araghchi “explained the principled positions of our country regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran.”
Asked about Tehran’s reservations about the US position on the talks, an Iranian diplomatic source in Pakistan said: “In principle, the Iranian side will not accept maximalist demands.” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier told reporters that Tehran had a chance to make a “good deal”. He said: “Iran knows it still has an open window to choose wisely,” adding: “All it has to do is abandon the nuclear weapon in a meaningful and verifiable way.”
Peace talks between the US and Iran in limbo again?
The development comes after Trump announced earlier this week that there could be “good news” about peace talks with Iran and hinted at a “possible” breakthrough.
While Trump made the remarks, Tehran denied such claims and accused the US president of lying. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that the Islamic Republic had made no such official statement about sending a delegation to Islamabad.
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Peace talks between the two sides seem to be in limbo again. Earlier this month, the two sides held talks in Islamabad for 21 hours. However, the negotiations ended without reaching an agreement. Following this, Trump announced a blockade of Iranian ports, and in retaliation, Tehran continued its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials say a second round of talks will take place once the US lifts the naval blockade, while the US president says the blockade will remain in place until a deal is reached.
While Trump extended the ceasefire “indefinitely” citing requests from Pakistani officials, it remains to be seen whether there will be any change in the stalemate between Washington and Tehran or a meaningful revival of peace talks.
