Pakistan’s Army Chief and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir (3rd R) meets with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (3rd L) upon his arrival in Islamabad on April 25, 2026.
– | Afp | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Saturday said he has canceled plans to send U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan after Iran’s chief negotiator left Islamabad after speaking only to Pakistani officials.
Trump said he canceled the U.S. delegation’s trip to Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians.
“Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their “leadership,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social. “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!!!
Before boarding Air Force One for a return flight to Washington, Trump said Iran had improved an offer to resolve the conflict after he canceled the visit, “but not enough.”
Witkoff and Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, had been scheduled to head to Pakistan earlier in the day to engage in “direct talks” with their Iranian counterparts, according to the White House.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with the head of Pakistan’s military, Asim Munir, the Iranian embassy in Pakistan said in a post on X on Saturday. A senior Iranian official said his government’s representatives had no plans to meet with U.S. negotiators.
“No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the U.S. Iran’s observations would be conveyed to Pakistan,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said in a post on X late Friday.
Reuters, citing two Pakistani government sources, said the Iranian delegation had flown out of the country on Saturday.
Araghchi, in a post on X, praised Pakistani leaders but appeared to dismiss talks with the Americans.
“Very fruitful visit to Pakistan, whose good offices and brotherly efforts to bring back peace to our region we very much value,” he wrote. “Shared Iran’s position concerning workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy.”
Trump had told Reuters in a phone call on Friday that Iran would be “making an offer,” adding that he did not yet know what it would be and that “we’ll have to see.”
Araghchi, earlier Friday, said he was “embarking on a timely tour” of Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow in order to “closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments.” He made no remarks indicating that a meeting with U.S. officials was planned.
The first round of peace talks, held two weeks ago in Islamabad and led on the U.S. side by Vice President JD Vance ended with no deal. Vance was not expected to accompany Witkoff and Kushner on Saturday’s trip to Pakistan.
A U.S. delegation, including Vance, had been expected to travel to Pakistan earlier this week for further negotiations,…
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