Trump cancels envoysʼ trip to Pakistan for talks with Iran. He doesnʼt want to waste time talking “about nothing”

The US President Donald Trump has canceled the trip of his envoys Steve Witkoff and David Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iran.

He said this in a conversation with a Fox News journalist.

Trump said there was no point in the American delegation making an 18-hour flight when the US "has all the trump cards" in the conflict with Iran. He added that the Iranians could contact the US any time they wanted.

"I told my people as they were about to leave: ʼNo, youʼre not going to fly 18 hours there. We have all the trump cards. They can call us anytime, but youʼre not going to fly 18 hours anymore to sit and talk about nothing,ʼ" Trump was quoted as saying by Fox News.

When asked by an Axios reporter if this meant he was going to resume war on Iran, Trump replied: "No. It doesnʼt mean that. We havenʼt thought about that yet."

Yesterday, CNN, citing American and Iranian sources, wrote that a second round of talks between US and Iranian representatives could take place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on April 25-26. The US was to be represented by Steve Witkoff and David Kushner, without US Vice President J.D. Vance.

The Iranian negotiating delegation this time was to be led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, instead of Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as was the case during the first round of talks. Araghchi confirmed that he would fly to Pakistan, then Oman and Russia. However, he did not mention whether meetings with the Americans were planned as part of the trip to Islamabad.

Subsequently, Axios journalist Barak Ravid, citing sources, reported that direct talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan could take place on Monday, April 27. According to him, the meeting between the Iranian Foreign Minister and US representatives could take place after bilateral talks between Kushner and Witkoff with Pakistani mediators this weekend.

War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US

On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.

Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels a day.

On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.

On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran announced that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.

On April 19, Donald Trump reported that his representatives would go to Pakistan for talks. But Iran refused to send its delegation. The Foreign Ministry noted that the US had violated the ceasefire, and Iran "cannot forget the US attacks on it during previous talks".

On April 21, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had extended the truce with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions.

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