International efforts to broker peace between the United States and Iran hung in the balance on Sunday after President Donald Trump cancelled his envoys’ planned trip to Pakistan for talks.
Trump said there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing,” dismissing Tehran’s opening position, but revealed that Iran quickly sent back a revised proposal after hearing the visit had been scrapped. “They gave us a paper that should have been better and, interestingly, immediately when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” he told reporters, without giving details.
The White House had earlier announced that Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Islamabad on Saturday for indirect talks with Iran aimed at moving “toward a deal.” Trump later told Fox News he called off the trip, insisting that Washington holds “all the cards” and would not keep making long flights “to sit around talking about nothing.”
Asked if the cancellation meant a return to full scale hostilities, Trump replied that it did not and said “we haven’t thought about it yet,” signalling that large scale U.S. strikes remain paused even as he vowed not to be deterred from “winning the war.”
Shortly before his comments, a gunman was arrested at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington. Trump said he did not believe the incident was linked to Iran.
On the diplomatic front, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrapped up talks in Islamabad with Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar before heading to Muscat and then on to Russia for further consultations. He described the Pakistan leg as “very fruitful” but said Tehran had “yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy.”
Even before Trump’s move, Iranian state TV had indicated there were no plans for Araghchi to meet U.S. officials directly, with Pakistan expected to act as a go between. Sharif said he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to helping secure a “durable peace,” while Iranian media quoted Pezeshkian as saying Tehran would not be coerced by Washington’s “hostile actions.”
Meanwhile, tensions remain high in the Gulf, where the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical oil and gas chokepoints — is still effectively shut. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reiterated that they have no intention of lifting their blockade, calling control of the strait and the “shadow of its deterrent effects” over the U.S. and its regional allies a core strategic doctrine.
The United States has imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports in response, with Iran’s military warning that continued “blockading, banditry and piracy” could trigger retaliation.
On the Lebanon front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered new strikes on Hezbollah positions, accusing the Iran backed group of breaching a recently extended ceasefire. Lebanese state media reported Israeli attacks in at least four locations in the south, including towns in the Bint Jbeil, Tyre and Nabatieh districts, with Lebanon’s health ministry saying six people were killed in Nabatieh and Bint Jbeil.
The Israeli military said it had “eliminated” three Hezbollah operatives travelling in a vehicle “loaded with weapons,” another fighter on a motorcycle and two more armed members elsewhere.
Though Trump had announced a three week extension of the truce between Israel and Lebanon and voiced optimism about peace after meeting both countries’ envoys, Hezbollah parliamentary bloc leader Mohammed Raad urged Lebanon to withdraw from talks, warning that any deal lacking broad national consensus would not be sustainable.
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Trump cancels Pakistan talks triip says Iran war on hold
International efforts to broker peace between the United States and Iran hung in the balance on Sunday after President Donald Trump cancelled his envoys’ planned trip to Pakistan for talks. Trump said there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing,” dismissing Tehran’s opening position, but revealed that Iran quickly sent back a revised proposal after hearing the visit had been scrapped. “They gave us a paper that should have been better and, interestingly, immediately when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” he told reporters, without giving details. The White House had earlier announced that Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Islamabad on Saturday for indirect talks with Iran aimed at moving “toward a deal.” Trump later told Fox News he called off […]
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