President Trump is no longer sending his emissaries to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran. “We have all the cards. They can call us”
President Donald Trump told Fox News that American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will no longer go to Pakistan for talks with Iran.
Trump said it was not worth it for the American delegation to make an 18-hour flight to Pakistan when the United States has all the advantages in the conflict with Iran.
“My people were ready to go and a little while ago I said, 'No, don't fly 18 hours to get there. We have all the books. They can call us anytime they want, but you're not going to fly 18 hours to talk about anything,'” Trump said.
The Iranian minister did not wait for Trump's emissaries
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, after holding talks with several Pakistani officials, including the prime minister and army chief.
A Pakistani source involved in the talks told Reuters on Saturday that Iran's foreign minister had conveyed Tehran's negotiating demands to Pakistani officials, as well as its reservations about US demands.
Iran's foreign minister arrived in Islamabad late on Friday with the sole stated aim of meeting Pakistan's civilian and military leadership, a trip that coincided with the United States' announcement that it would soon send a delegation to the Pakistani capital to try to unblock peace talks aimed at resolving the regional crisis.
According to the program announced on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is to continue his tour on Saturday with a visit to Oman, and then to Moscow.
Kushner and Witkoff were to arrive in Islamabad
The Trump administration indicated that the visit follows an Iranian request to resume face-to-face negotiations and after identifying “some progress” from Tehran.
However, Iranian authorities have categorically rejected this American assessment and maintain that a meeting will not take place, at least not at this time.
Shortly after news broke of Abbas Araghchi's visit to Islamabad, the US government announced that the US president's special envoys for these negotiations, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, would travel to Islamabad on Saturday to resume face-to-face talks.
The Trump administration indicated that the visit follows an Iranian request to resume face-to-face negotiations and after identifying “some progress” from Tehran.
However, Iranian authorities have categorically rejected this American assessment and maintain that a meeting will not take place, at least not at this time.
