ISLAMABAD\/WASHINGTON \u2022 President Donald Trump canceled a trip by two U.S. envoys to Iran war mediator Pakistan on Saturday, dealing a new setback to peace prospects after Iran\u2019s foreign minister departed Islamabad after speaking only to Pakistani officials.<\/p>\n
While peace talks failed to materialize Saturday,\u00a0Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his troops to \u201cforcefully\u201d attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, his office said, further testing a three-week ceasefire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump told reporters in Florida that he decided to call off the planned visit by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner because the talks in Islamabad involved too much travel and expense, and Iran\u2019s latest peace offer was not good enough for him.<\/p>\n
Before boarding Air Force One on Saturday for a return flight to Washington, Trump said Iran had improved an offer to resolve the conflict after he canceled the visit, \u201cbut not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a social media post, Trump also wrote there was \u201ctremendous infighting and confusion\u201d within Iran\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody 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!!!\u201d he posted on Truth Social.<\/p>\n
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi earlier left the Pakistani capital without any sign of a breakthrough in talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials.<\/p>\n
Araqchi later described his visit to Pakistan as \u201cvery fruitful,\u201d adding in a social media post that he had \u201cshared Iran\u2019s position concerning (a) workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iranian media reported that Araqchi had flown to Oman\u2019s capital Muscat, saying he will meet with senior officials to \u201cdiscuss and exchange views on bilateral relations and regional developments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sharif wrote in a post on X that he spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian about the regional security situation and told him that Pakistan was committed to serving \u201cas an honest and sincere facilitator \u2014 working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tehran has ruled out a new round of direct talks with the United States and an Iranian diplomatic source said his country would not accept Washington\u2019s \u201cmaximalist demands.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Washington and Tehran are at an impasse as Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, while the U.S. blocks Iran\u2019s oil exports.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The conflict, in which a ceasefire is in force, began with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28. Iran has since carried out strikes against Israel, U.S. bases and Gulf states, and the war has pushed up energy prices to multi-year highs, stoking inflation and darkening global growth prospects.<\/p>\n
Araqchi \u201cexplained our country\u2019s principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran,\u201d said a statement on the minister\u2019s official Telegram account.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Asked about Tehran\u2019s reservations over U.S. positions in the talks, an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told Reuters: \u201cPrincipally, Iranian side will not accept maximalist demands.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said the U.S. had seen some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and hoped more would come over the weekend, while Vice President JD Vance was ready to travel to Pakistan as well.<\/p>\n
Vance led a first round of unsuccessful talks with Iran in Islamabad earlier this month.<\/p>\n
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