Iran War Becomes More Uncertain After Trump's Envoy Cancels Trip to Pakistan

The war between the United States (US) and Israel with Iran has no clear end in sight. US President Donald Trump’s envoy has cancelled a trip to Islamabad, Pakistan, for the second round of peace negotiations with Iran. Trump emphasised that the cancellation of the envoy’s visit to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran does not mean the US-Israel war against the Islamic Republic will resume immediately. Quoted by AFP on Saturday (25/4), the White House stated that Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were to head to Pakistan’s capital for “direct talks” with the Iranian side, hoped to “push progress towards an agreement”. Shortly before that announcement, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi completed his diplomatic visit to Islamabad after meeting Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir, a key figure in mediation efforts, as well as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. However, Trump told Fox News that he had cancelled the trip. “We hold all the cards. They can contact us anytime, but there’s no need to fly 18 hours just to sit and talk about something that yields nothing,” Trump said, quoting his statement to his team. When asked by US media Axios if this meant the resumption of hostilities, Trump replied: “No. It doesn’t mean that. We haven’t even thought about it.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Leaves Islamabad The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that Araghchi had left Islamabad on Saturday (25/4) to meet Omani officials. Araghchi is also scheduled to continue his trip to Russia to discuss efforts to end the war, which was initiated by the United States and Israel against Iran on 28 February. Araghchi described his visit to Pakistan as “very productive” in a post on platform X, adding that he had conveyed Iran’s position on “a workable framework for permanently ending the war”. “It remains to be seen whether the US is truly serious about diplomacy,” he said. Even before Trump’s announcement, the prospects for new talks were uncertain. Iranian state television reported that Araghchi had no plans to meet with the US side, and Islamabad would only act as an intermediary to “convey” Iran’s proposals. Pakistani PM Phones Iranian President to Push for Peace Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone discussion with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Sharif conveyed that he would continue efforts to promote peace between Iran and the US, which remain tense. Quoted by CNN, the communication took place on Saturday (24/4). Sharif assured that Islamabad “will continue sincere and honest efforts to promote regional peace and security,” according to Sharif’s office. In a post on X, Sharif expressed appreciation for Iran’s decision to send a high-level delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the war.