Trump cancels U.S. envoys' trip to Pakistan after Iran's foreign minister departs Islamabad without meeting American officials

President Trump said he called off Witkoff and Kushner's travel as the two envoys were preparing to depart. "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."

The Pakistani capital had been placed under a near-lockdown in anticipation of the talks, with soldiers, checkpoints and helicopters deployed around Islamabad's airport and the heavily fortified Red Zone, the Associated Press reported. Araghchi had arrived Friday evening, met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and other senior officials, and conducted what CNN described as an all-night session with Pakistani mediators before departing Saturday. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson had denied throughout the visit that any direct negotiations with U.S. representatives were planned, stating that Iran's positions would be relayed through Pakistan.

The canceled trip came against a backdrop of unresolved sticking points from the earlier Islamabad talks. According to CNN, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation in the first round, said Iran's refusal to abandon its nuclear program was the primary obstacle, while Iran's lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the U.S. failed to earn Tehran's trust. NPR reported that Iran has also said it will not return to the table until a U.S. naval blockade of its ports is lifted, and that Tehran dismissed Trump's unilateral extension of a ceasefire with Iran as "meaningless."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said Friday that Trump was dispatching Witkoff and Kushner "to go hear" what the Iranians had to say, and that "the Iranians asked for the talks," according to NPR. On Thursday, Trump had told reporters he was "in no rush" for a deal and wanted to wait for "the best deal," NPR reported. Araghchi, after leaving Islamabad, was scheduled to continue on to Oman and Russia as part of a broader diplomatic tour, CNN reported.

Coverage of the cancellation diverged in emphasis. The Washington Examiner led with Trump's direct quote asserting U.S. leverage. NPR and CNN focused on the sequence of events — Araghchi's departure preceding the cancellation — and provided context about Iran's stated preconditions and the fragility of the existing ceasefire. Reuters and the Associated Press centered their reporting on the diplomatic mechanics, including Pakistan's mediating role and Araghchi's meetings with Pakistani leadership before his departure.