President Donald Trump cancelled the planned trip to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for talks with Iran, reducing the prospect of reconciliation, while Israel ordered new strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Pakistani capital was the setting for Iranian-American discussions two weeks ago and hopes for a resumption rose with the arrival on Friday of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The White House subsequently announced the departure of President’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad.
However, without waiting, the Iranian minister concluded his visit to Pakistan on Saturday and Donald Trump canceled the trip with a message on his Truth Social network, refusing to have his envoys fly “15, 16 hours” for discussions that could very well be held over the phone.
Asked by Axios whether this cancellation meant he would resume war, Mr. Trump responded, “No. It doesn’t mean that. We haven’t thought about it yet.”
He reiterated his theory that divisions at the top of the Iranian government were preventing Tehran from negotiating. “No one knows who is in charge, not even them,” he added.
“If they want to discuss, they just need to call us,” the Republican leader asserted.
Triggered by a US and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, the regional conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and has shaken the global economy, with Iran blocking the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
– Serious? –
Speaking later on the tarmac of Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, the American president mentioned a meeting with Iranians planned for “Tuesday” in Islamabad.
Reflecting on the cancellation of his envoys’ trip, he assured that “as soon as I canceled, in less than ten minutes,” the Iranians submitted a new negotiation document “much better”.
On the other hand, the Iranian foreign minister, who was headed to Oman, will return to Islamabad on Sunday, according to a public Iranian media outlet.
On Saturday, he stated that he did not know if the US was “really serious” about diplomacy, according to his ministry.
In Islamabad, he met with the powerful Pakistani army chief, Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
According to his ministry, he presented “the principled positions” of his country regarding “the complete end of the imposed war on Iran” to his interlocutors.
He is then set to travel to Moscow.
Pakistan, on its part, remains “committed to serving as an honest and sincere mediator” between Iran and the US, assured Mr. Sharif in a phone call to Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, as per a message broadcast on X.
– Retaliation to American “piracy” –
Maritime traffic remains halted in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) used to pass before the conflict, subjected to a double Iranian and American blockade.
The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army, stated on Saturday that controlling the strait was Tehran’s “ultimate strategy” in its conflict with the US.
The Iranian armed forces’ command, in turn, threatened the US with a military response if the American blockade of Iranian ports continued, denouncing acts of “piracy”.
Meanwhile, Tehran’s international airport reopened on Saturday, with initial departures to Medina, Muscat, and Istanbul, as per Iranian state TV.
But President Pezeshkian urged the population to “save electricity”, warning that while there is currently no shortage, the US and Israel were trying to sow “discontent” among Iranians.
“We don’t need people to sacrifice at the moment, but we must control consumption. Instead of ten lights, two are enough in a house. What’s wrong with that?” he added.
– Six deaths in Lebanon –
On the Lebanese front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to strike the pro-Iranian Hezbollah “forcefully,” following what the army termed a series of ceasefire violations.
The truce between Israel and Hezbollah, extended by three weeks on Thursday night by the American president after discussions between Israeli and Lebanese representatives in Washington, is under severe strain.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported six people killed by Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army declared it had “eliminated more than 15 terrorists in southern Lebanon” and reiterated its warning to residents not to return to dozens of locations in the region.
Nearly 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli attacks since the Shiite movement reopened hostilities with Israel on March 2, according to Lebanese authorities.
