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In brief
- Donald Trump has cancelled his envoys’ weekend visit to Pakistani capital.
- Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says he has yet to see if US is “truly serious about diplomacy”.
President Donald Trump decided to call off a planned visit by his envoys to Pakistan, where they were scheduled to engage in peace discussions with Iran. Trump explained that he saw little value in “sitting around talking about nothing,” although he noted that this decision does not signal an immediate return to conflict.
Trump announced the cancellation after expressing dissatisfaction with Iran’s initial negotiation stance. Interestingly, following his decision to cancel, a revised and improved proposal from Tehran was presented within minutes.
“They handed us a document that could have been better,” Trump remarked to the press, “and — notably — just 10 minutes after I called it off, we received a much-improved version.” He did not provide further details on the contents of the new proposal.
The White House had previously stated that Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff, were set to travel to Pakistan with the aim of progressing towards an agreement with Iran. However, Trump later informed Fox News that he had decided to cancel the trip.
“We hold all the leverage,” Trump conveyed to his team. “They can reach out whenever they want, but we’re not embarking on any more long flights just to engage in fruitless conversations.”
Asked separately whether the cancellation meant a return to hostilities, Trump said: “No, it doesn’t mean that. We haven’t thought about it yet.”
Shortly beforehand, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi wrapped up a visit to Islamabad after meeting Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir, a key mediator, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and foreign minister Ishaq Dar.
Iran said Araghchi had left for Muscat and would return to Pakistan after meetings in Oman before travelling on to Russia for talks on ending the war launched by the United States and Israel on 28 February.
Araghchi described his Pakistan trip as “very fruitful” but signalled scepticism over Washington’s intentions.
“Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy,” he said.
Even before Trump’s move, prospects for talks were uncertain, with Iranian state television saying Araghchi had no plans to meet US officials and that Islamabad would act as a conduit for proposals.
Sharif said he had spoken to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and reiterated Islamabad’s commitment to facilitating “durable peace”.
Pezeshkian told Sharif in a phone call that Tehran would not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade, according to a statement from the Iranian government.
Pezeshkian said the US should first remove “operational obstacles”, including its blockade on Iranian ports, to be able to create a groundwork to resolve issues.
Hormuz blockade deepens
Pressure to end the war has intensified as the Strait of Hormuz — a vital oil and gas route — remains closed.
But Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards said they had no intention of lifting their blockade, which has roiled energy markets.
“Controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House’s supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran,” the Guards said on their official Telegram channel.
The United States has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in retaliation.
In a statement carried by state media, Iran’s military warned that continued US “blockading, banditry and piracy” would draw a response.
Efforts to resume US-Iran talks have stalled, with Tehran refusing to engage while the naval blockade remains. Iran has allowed only limited shipping through the strait.
Israel strikes Lebanon again amid ceasefire
On the war’s Lebanese front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes in Lebanon amid a ceasefire that was extended earlier this week.
Lebanese state media reported Israeli attacks in at least four locations in the south — a pair of strikes in quick succession in a town in Bint Jbeil district, another on a town in Tyre district, and strikes on two more towns in Nabatieh district.
The strikes in Nabatieh and Bint Jbeil killed six people, according to the health ministry.
Israel’s military claimed it “eliminated” three Hezbollah operatives who were driving “a vehicle loaded with weapons” as well as another one riding a motorcycle, and two more armed members of the group elsewhere.
Trump had announced the three-week truce extension on Friday and voiced optimism about peace after meeting Israeli and Lebanese envoys.
But Mohammed Raad, the head of the parliamentary bloc for Hezbollah, urged Lebanon to withdraw from talks and warned any deal would lack national consensus.
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