Trump cancels US envoys' Pakistan trip for Iran ceasefire talks

United States President Donald Trump has ordered his envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff not to travel to Pakistan for talks aimed at ending the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

This decision came shortly after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad following high-level meetings with Pakistani officials.

Trump told Fox News that he had instructed his envoys to cancel their planned trip to Islamabad, citing that the United States holds all the leverage in the situation and that further travel was unnecessary.

He emphasized that any future negotiations could take place over the phone, stating, "If they want to talk, all they have to do is call." The cancellation follows Araghchi's departure from Pakistan, where he met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Araghchi shared Iran's position on a workable framework to permanently end the war and expressed uncertainty about the US's seriousness regarding diplomacy.

This development is significant as it occurs amid an eight-week conflict that has disrupted global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz.

The US maintains a naval blockade and has over 50,000 troops in the region, underscoring its strategic advantage.

Earlier, the White House had announced that Kushner and Witkoff would travel to Pakistan to attempt to revive ceasefire negotiations.

However, Iran's foreign ministry indicated that any talks would be indirect, with Pakistani officials conveying messages between the parties.

The first round of talks in Pakistan, led by US Vice-President J.D.

Vance, lasted over 20 hours and represented the highest-level direct engagement between the US and Iran since 1979.

Previous indirect talks in Geneva between Araghchi and US envoys ended without a deal, followed by the outbreak of war.

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