President Donald Trump on Saturday abruptly canceled a planned trip by senior US officials to Pakistan for talks aimed at ending the war with Iran, just hours after Tehran’s delegation departed Islamabad.
Trump said special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner would be wasting “too much time” on the mission. “If Iran wants to talk, all they have to do is call,” the president wrote on Truth Social, adding that “we have all the cards, they have none.”
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held meetings in Islamabad with Pakistani mediators. He said afterward that he had shared Iran’s position on ending the war but had yet to see whether the United States is “truly serious about diplomacy.”
The cancellation came despite Trump’s extension of a ceasefire that had been due to expire on April 22. The president told news site Axios that the truce would remain in place, even as hopes for another round of direct talks faded. Asked whether the canceled trip meant war would resume, Trump replied: “No, it doesn’t mean that. We haven’t thought about it yet.”
The White House had announced the trip on Friday, saying that the Iranians “want to talk.” Iran denied any plans for a direct meeting.
Trump suggested confusion within Iran’s leadership, writing: “There is tremendous infighting and confusion. Nobody knows who is in charge, including them.”
Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round of talks earlier this month, had been “on standby” to join if the talks proved successful, the White House said Friday. His absence from the planned delegation signaled that a major breakthrough was not expected.
Mediation efforts continue
Pakistan has mediated contact between Washington and Tehran in recent weeks, hosting senior US and Iranian officials on April 11 for talks that ended without agreement.
Araghchi, whose regional tour also includes Oman and Russia, described his Pakistan visit as “fruitful” in a post on X. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two had shared “a most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation.”
Iranian state media reported that Araghchi is expected to return to Islamabad after visiting Oman.
Strait of Hormuz standoff
The conflict remains deadlocked over the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. Iran has restricted passage through the key shipping route following US and Israeli strikes that began in February, while Washington has increased its naval presence to block Iranian oil exports.
The US and Israel have cited opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons as a reason for initiating the conflict, suspecting Tehran of seeking to develop an atomic bomb. Iran has consistently denied those intentions, saying its nuclear program is for energy generation, despite having enriched uranium to near weapons-grade level.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon
Separately, at least four people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanon’s state news agency. The Israeli military said Hezbollah had fired rockets at Israel.
Despite a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, both sides have continued to exchange fire in recent weeks, each accusing the other of violations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the military had been ordered to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.”
