Trump cancels U.S. envoy trip to Pakistan for Iran negotiations

President Donald Trump over the weekend said he cancelled a planned trip to Pakistan for U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The pair were scheduled to leave Saturday morning for Islamabad for renewed negotiations between the United States and Iran, according to Friday statements made by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. During an interview with Fox News’ America Reports, Leavitt said Pakistani leadership, whom she characterized as incredible friends, would once again mediate talks between the two countries.

What was Trump’s reasoning for canceling the trip? In a Saturday statement posted on Truth Social, Trump blamed what he described as tremendous infighting and confusion within Iran’s leadership for his decision to cancel the trip. He added that no one knows who is in charge of Iran, including the Iranians themselves. Trump went on to say that the United States had “all the cards,” while the Iranians had none, and said the United States had already wasted too much time and effort on travel plans.

How has the Iranian government responded? Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said over the weekend that Iran would not agree to hold peace negotiations while the U.S. blockade of Iranian naval ports continued, according to a report by Iranian state-run Press TV. Pezeshkian added that U.S. pressure tactics against Iran—including the blockade—were inconsistent with Washington’s expressed desire to find a diplomatic solution. He insisted that Iranian forces had successfully closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic and said it would not reopen until the U.S. blockade ended.

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