'We have all the cards, they have none,' President Donald Trumpdeclaredon Saturday after abruptly cancelling a planned trip by his two top envoys to Pakistan, where a second round of peace negotiations with Iran had been expected to take place. The announcement came hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed Islamabad without agreeing to meet with the American delegation, dealing a significant blow to diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
Trump told Fox News in aphone interview: '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.'
The US delegation had been expected to be led by White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Vice President JD Vance was not set to attend but would have remained on standby in case his presence was deemed'necessary', the White House said.
White House press secretaryKaroline Leavitthad said on Friday that 'the Iranians want to talk' and 'they want to talk in person,' making Trump's reversal all the more striking. In a Truth Social post, Trump cited 'tremendous infighting and confusion' within Iran's leadership, writing: 'Nobody knows who is in charge, including them.'
AraghchileftIslamabad without committing to meet Witkoff and Kushner, and the Iranian foreign minister expressed in his meetings that Iran demands the lifting of the US naval blockade as a pre-condition for talks. About an hour after his departure, Trump pulled the plug on the trip entirely.
Araghchipostedon X: 'Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy.' He later flew to Oman, where Pakistani officials said he was expected to consult with Omani leadership, before proceeding to Russia.
Pakistan's foreign minister,Ishaq Dar, posted on social media that the meeting with the Iranian delegation lasted around two hours, adding that Pakistan emphasised 'the importance of dialogue and diplomacy.'
Despite the dramatic breakdown, Trump insisted the cancellation did not signal a return to active hostilities. Asked by Axios whether the move meant he would resume the war, Trumpsaid: 'No. It doesn't mean that. We haven't thought about it yet.'
This second round of talks had been expected to build on the first round held in Pakistan on 11 April, which also did not result in a deal. Vance had also been prepared to travel to Islamabad earlier that week for negotiations, but his trip was called off after the Iranians refused to agree to terms.
Iran's military, meanwhile, remained defiant, with its central commandwarningthat if 'the invading US military continues blockading, banditry, and piracy in the region, they should be certain that they will face a response from Iran's powerful armed forces.'
Source: International Business Times UK
