Trump cancels U.S. envoys' planned trip to Pakistan after Iran declines direct talks

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he was calling off the planned Islamabad trip by his envoys, citing Iran's posture as his reason. "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,'" Trump said, according to Fox News, as reported by the Washington Examiner. "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."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said Friday on Fox News that Trump was dispatching Witkoff and Kushner to Islamabad "to go hear" what the Iranians had to say, describing the trip as potentially productive and noting that Iran had requested the talks. Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation in an earlier round, was not planning to travel but would remain on standby, Leavitt said.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on X that Iran's positions "would be conveyed to Pakistan," indicating the visit was structured through Pakistani intermediaries rather than as a direct U.S.-Iran meeting. Araghchi met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and other senior officials before departing Islamabad Saturday evening, two Pakistani officials told the Associated Press. Araghchi said on Telegram that he had discussed Iran's views on ending the war with Munir and that Tehran would continue engaging in Pakistan-led mediation efforts "until a result is achieved."

The diplomatic episode unfolded against a backdrop of unresolved disputes over ceasefire terms and conditions for talks. Iran had previously described Trump's unilateral extension of a ceasefire with Iran as "meaningless," stating that a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports violated the deal and that its delegation would not return to the negotiating table until the blockade was lifted. Trump told reporters Thursday he was "in no hurry" to reach a deal. Separately, a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon — which Tehran has cited as a precondition for further talks — was extended by three weeks after White House negotiations, though Hezbollah was not party to those talks and has opposed them. Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon continued Saturday despite the extension, and Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel.

Pakistan, which hosted an earlier and first-ever direct U.S.-Iran meeting this month, remains a key mediating party. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was scheduled to travel to Beijing on Saturday, where discussions were expected to include Pakistan's role in hosting further talks, according to the AP. Egypt's foreign minister also spoke by phone Friday with Pakistan's foreign minister, with both affirming that negotiations remain the best path to ending the war.