Trump scraps US-Iran talks as hopes for peace fade

[ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON] Hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Israeli war with Iran receded as a new week began, with talks aimed at ending the two-month conflict at a standstill and both Teheran and Washington showing little willingness to soften their terms.

While Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi continued to shuttle between mediating countries over the weekend, US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned visit to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

US forces removed security equipment from Pakistan’s capital, Pakistani government sources said, signalling that any American delegation was unlikely to return for talks soon.

Although a ceasefire has paused full-scale fighting in the conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb 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.

Teheran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, while Washington has imposed a blockade of Iran’s ports.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone that Teheran would not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade, according to a statement from the Iranian government.

Pezeshkian said the US should first remove “operational obstacles”, including its blockade on Iranian ports, before negotiators can lay any groundwork to resolve the conflict. Araghchi described his visit to Pakistan as “very fruitful”. An Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad said Teheran would not accept “maximalist demands” from the US.

The two sides discussed security in the Strait of Hormuz and Araghchi called for a regional security framework free of outside interference, an Iranian foreign ministry statement indicated.

He was due to return to Pakistan on Sunday (Apr 26), before heading to Russia, Iranian news agencies reported.

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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”, the president said. On Truth Social, he wrote that 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!!!”

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.

Last week, Pezeshkian said that there were “no hardliners or moderates” in Teheran and that the country stood united behind its supreme leader. Araghchi and Qalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator, echoed the message in recent days.

The war has destabilised the Middle East – Iran has struck its Gulf neighbours, and conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hizbollah in Lebanon has been reignited.

Adding to regional strains, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his troops to attack Hizbollah targets in Lebanon, his office said, further testing a three-week ceasefire.

Israel’s military issued new evacuation orders for southern Lebanon on Sunday, ordering residents to leave seven towns beyond the “buffer zone” it occupied before a ceasefire that has failed to bring a full halt to hostilities. REUTERS