Trump cancels Witkoff, Kushner trip to Pakistan after Iranian FM leaves Islamabad without meeting US Envoys

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (April 25) said that American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will no longer travel to Pakistan for talks with Iran, calling off the planned visit at the last moment, minutes after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Pakistan after wrapping up a diplomatic visit to Islamabad ahead of the expected arrival of the US delegation.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said it was not worth making an 18-hour journey when talks were unlikely to take place. He added that Iran could reach out to the United States whenever it wished.

"I’ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing," Trump said.

Trump's statement comes after Araghchi departed from Islamabad, where he met Field Marshal Asim Munir, a key figure in the mediation effort, as well as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Araghchi, according to an Iranian statement, thanked Pakistan for its efforts but "explained our country's principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran".

Pakistan’s Dar posted on social media that the meeting with the Iranian delegation lasted around two hours and that Pakistan emphasised "the importance of dialogue and diplomacy".

However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei earlier in the day clarified Tehran’s position, saying, “No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the U.S. Iran’s observations will be conveyed to Pakistan.”

Stating the purpose of the visit, he added, “We arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan, for an official visit. FM Araghchi will be meeting Pakistani high-level officials in concert with their ongoing mediation and good offices for ending the American-imposed war of aggression and restoring peace in our region,” Baqaei posted on X.

The meeting between the two warring sides, who have publicly voiced differences, rested on Pakistan’s ability to convince Iran to make concessions to Trump’s demands, which Tehran has already described as excessive after the collapse of the first round of Islamabad talks.

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The first round of talks, led by US Vice President JD Vance and attended by Witkoff and Kushner, while Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led Tehran’s delegation, collapsed after Iran objected to Washington’s insistence on maintaining sanctions and naval restrictions during negotiations.

Meanwhile, the US President continued to escalate his rhetoric on Tehran in his self-styled “art of the deal” approach, claiming that Iran may make a proposal that could satisfy US demands.

"They're making an offer, and we'll have to see," Trump said during a phone interview with Reuters on Friday.

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