Iran FM returns to Pakistan following Oman visit and US envoy cancellation

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Pakistan on Sunday (April 26) following a brief visit to Oman, state media reported, even though his itinerary initially included travel from Muscat to Moscow. This comes after US President Trump cancelled a planned envoy visit to Islamabad intended for peace negotiations with Tehran.

Iran's official IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had arrived during the early evening in Pakistan, which has served as a mediator in diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East war.

Despite calling off the US delegation's visit, the President signalled a continued willingness to negotiate after nearly 39 days of conflict, stating that Iranian negotiators could call Washington "anytime they want." He clarified that the cancelled visit did not automatically mean a resumption of full-scale war, despite the setback in peace efforts.

However, the US President also claimed via Truth Social that there is "tremendous infighting and confusion" within the Islamic Republic’s leadership, asserting that “nobody knows who is in charge.”

"I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going to Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians. Too much time wasted on travelling, 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!!!," Trump said on Truth Social.

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Later, the President claimed that Iran had submitted a new proposal just 10 minutes after he announced that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would not be sent to Pakistan.

Speaking to reporters outside Air Force One, he noted that while the initial proposal fell short, the revised offer was significantly improved. “They gave us a paper that should have been better, and interestingly, immediately, when I cancelled it... We got a new paper that was much better,” he said, adding, “They offered a lot but not enough.”

The cancellation of the Witkoff-Kushner trip occurred at the last moment, shortly after Araghchi had initially departed Islamabad.

Before his first departure on Sunday, Araghchi had met with key mediation figures, including Field Marshal Asim Munir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.