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Trump cancels envoys’ Pakistan trip for peace talks

US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will no longer visit Islamabad amid peace talks.

US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will no longer visit Islamabad amid peace talks. Photo: AAP

US President Donald Trump has cancelled a trip by two American envoys ‌to Pakistan, dealing a fresh setback to peace prospects.

Trump said in a social media post that he had called off the planned visit by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, citing what he said was tremendous confusion within the Iranian leadership.

“Too much time wasted on traveling, 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!!!” he wrote.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi earlier left the Pakistani capital without ​any sign of a breakthrough in talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials.

Araqchi later described his visit to Pakistan as “very fruitful,” adding in a social media post that he had “shared Iran’s position concerning [a] workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy”.

Iranian media reported that Araqchi had flown to Oman’s capital Muscat, saying he will meet with senior officials ⁠to “discuss and exchange views on bilateral relations and regional developments”.

Tehran has ruled out ‌further direct talks with the US and an Iranian diplomatic source said Tehran would not accept Washington’s “maximalist demands”.

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 US blocks Iran’s oil exports.

The conflict, in which a ceasefire is in force, began with US-Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28. Iran has since carried out strikes against Israel, US bases and Gulf states, and the war has ​pushed  energy prices to multiyear highs, stoking inflation and ​darkening global growth prospects.

Araqchi “explained our country’s principled positions regarding the latest developments ‌related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran”, according to a statement on the minister’s official Telegram account.

Asked about Tehran’s reservations over US positions in the talks, an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told Reuters: “Principally, Iranian side will not accept maximalist demands.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said the US had seen some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and hoped more would come ​over the weekend.

US Vice President JD Vance was also ready to travel to Pakistan. He led a first round of unsuccessful ​talks with Iran in Islamabad earlier in April.

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