US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he cancelled the trip of the American delegation to Islamabad for talks on an agreement with Tehran as the Iranian representatives had already left Pakistan.
Explaining his decision on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Too much time wasted on travelling, too much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership.’
“Nobody knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” the president added.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected to touch down in Islamabad to continue the indirect negotiations with Tehran through Pakistani mediators, but the Iranian delegation has reportedly left the country.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan on Friday and met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff Asim Munir, according to the Associated Press.
Araghchi said on his Telegram account that he is currently on a trip to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow “to coordinate closely with [Iran’s] partners on bilateral issues and consultations on regional developments.”
He emphasised “Pakistan’s special position in Iran’s foreign policy and relations and Iran’s will to further develop relations between the two countries.”
He did not disclose Tehran’s demands but said that his country’s “principled positions” were conveyed to Islamabad.
Trump said on Saturday that Iran had submitted a revised proposal for a nuclear deal within minutes of his announcement to cancel the trip – an offer he described as a marked improvement, but still falling short of US expectations.
“The Iranians gave us a paper that should have been better and, interestingly, the minute I cancelled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” he said. “They offered a lot, but not enough.”
Speaking to Axios also on Saturday, Trump said that “I see no point of sending [Witkoff and Kushner] on an 18-hour flight in the current situation. ... We are not gonna travel just to sit there.”
Asked whether the breakdown in talks means the war was to resume, the president said, “No. It doesn’t mean that. We haven’t thought about it yet. We have all the cards. We are not going to go there to sit around talking about nothing.”
On Thursday, Iranian officials tried to present a unified front after reports surfaced that Tehran’s leadership was fractured.
“In Iran there are no ‘hardliners’ or ‘moderates,’ President Masoud Pezeshkian tweeted.
“We are all Iranians and revolutionaries. With ironclad unity of nation and state and obedience to the Supreme Leader, we will make the aggressor regret. One God, one nation, one leader, one path; victory for Iran, dearer than life,” he wrote.
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