President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran can reach out to the United Stated if it wants to negotiate an end to the war between the two countries. “If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines,” Trump said in an inteview on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing.” Trump canceled a trip by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan on Saturday, dealing a new setback to peace prospects after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi departed Islamabad after speaking only to Pakistani officials.
Hopes of reviving peace efforts in the US-Israeli war with Iran receded on Sunday as Iran’s foreign minister faces the absence of US counterparts after President Donald Trump told envoys not to resume talks. While Abbas Araqchi continued to shuttle between mediating countries over the weekend, Trump scrapped a visit to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
US forces removed security equipment from the city, Pakistani government sources said, signalling that any US delegation was unlikely to return for negotiations soon. Although a ceasefire has paused full-scale fighting in the conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, no agreement has been reached on terms to end a war that has killed thousands, driven up oil prices, fuelled inflation and darkened the outlook for global growth. Tehran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of global oil shipments, while Washington has imposed a blockade of Iran’s ports.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow on Monday, the ISNA news agency reported. It cited Tehran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, who said that Araghchi would meet Putin and “consult with Russian officials regarding the latest status of the negotiations, ceasefire, and surrounding developments”, and present a report on negotiations to end the war with the United States and Israel.
Speaking in Florida before being rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, Trump said he cancelled his envoys’ visit due to too much travel and expense for what he considered an inadequate Iranian offer. Iran “offered a lot, but not enough,” Trump said. An earlier round of talks in Islamabad - in which Vice-President JD Vance led the US delegation opposite Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf - ended without agreement. After the latest diplomatic trip was called off, two US Air Force C-17s carrying security staff, equipment and vehicles used to protect US officials flew out of Pakistan, two Pakistani government sources told Reuters on Sunday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone that Tehran would not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade, according to a statement from the Iranian government. He said the United States should first remove obstacles, including its maritime blockade, before negotiators could begin laying the groundwork for a settlement.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S LEADERSHIP IN DISARRAY
Writing on Truth Social before the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump said there was “tremendous infighting and confusion” within Iran’s leadership. “Nobody knows who is in charge, including them,” he posted. “Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!”
Pezeshkian said last week there were “no hardliners or moderates” in Tehran and that the country stood united behind its supreme leader.
The war has destabilised the Middle East — Iran has struck its Gulf neighbours and conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has been reignited.
Washington and Tehran are at an impasse as Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, while the US blocks Iran’s oil exports. The conflict, in which a ceasefire is in force, began with US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28. Iran has since carried out strikes against Israel, US bases and Gulf states, and the war has pushed up energy prices to multi-year highs, stoking inflation and darkening global growth prospects.
Araqchi “explained our country’s principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran”, said a statement on the minister’s official Telegram account. Asked about Tehran’s reservations over US positions in the talks, an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told Reuters: “Principally, Iranian side will not accept maximalist demands.” — Reuters
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