ISLAMABAD (AP) — President Donald Trump said he has told U.S. envoys not to go to Pakistan for more talks with Iran, shortly after Iran’s top diplomat left Islamabad late Saturday.
Trump added to Fox News: “They can call us anytime they want.” The White House on Friday said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would be going to Pakistan's capital to attempt to revive ceasefire negotiations.
Iran ’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Pakistan on Saturday evening, two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Araghchi had met with Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about what he called Iran’s red lines for negotiations, and said Tehran would engage with Pakistan’s mediation efforts “until a result is achieved.” Iran had said talks would be indirect.
An open-ended ceasefire has paused most fighting, but the economic fallout grows with global shipments of oil, liquefied natural gas, fertilizer and other supplies disrupted by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials have openly asked how they can trust the U.S. after talks last year and early this year over Tehran’s nuclear program ended with it being attacked by the U.S. and Israel.
Iran has said talks will be indirect
Islamabad had been in near-lockdown ahead of the expected talks. Pakistan has been trying to get U.S. and Iran back to the table since Trump this week announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire, honoring Islamabad’s request for more diplomatic outreach.
The White House on Friday said Trump was sending Witkoff and Kushner to meet with Araghchi. But Iran's foreign ministry said any talks would be indirect and Pakistani officials would convey messages.
The first round of talks in Pakistan, led on the U.S. side by Vice President JD Vance, lasted over 20 hours and were face-to-face, the highest-level direct talks between the longtime adversaries since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Source: WPLG
