U.S. And Iran Shift Pakistan Talks As Trump Cancels Envoy Trip, Says Iran Leadership In Disarray
President Trump on Saturday called off a planned trip by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Islamabad for indirect talks with Iran, saying the dispatch was unnecessary and that "we have all the cards."
Trump told Fox News and Axios he stopped the envoys as they were preparing to leave, citing the long flight and what he called "tremendous infighting" in Iran's leadership. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had already met Pakistani leaders and left Islamabad; Tehran says it will not hold direct talks with U.S. envoys and will relay positions through Pakistan.
The episode traces back to Mr. Trump's maximum-pressure campaign after his 2025 inauguration, which reimposed sanctions and tightened U.S. naval deployments amid Iran's near weapons-grade enrichment. Indirect talks began in Muscat in April 2025 and continued through 2025 into 2026, focusing on limits to Iran's nuclear program in exchange for possible sanctions relief. Iran has set preconditions, including that any Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire remain in place and that the U.S. lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, while the U.S. has pressed Iran to abandon nuclear weapons ambitions in "meaningful and verifiable ways."
Early reporting framed the Islamabad meetings as a diplomatic opening, with White House briefings saying Kushner and Witkoff would travel to hear Iran's views. Reporting later in the day by several outlets documented Mr. Trump's abrupt cancellation and his public description of disarray inside Iran, shifting the narrative from cautious optimism to a view that talks have stalled.
The cancellation drew mixed reactions online, with some praising what they called a show of U.S. strength and others mocking the apparent diplomatic misstep. For now, hopes for an immediate breakthrough have faded, leaving regional security risks and pressure on energy markets intact.
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This story is compiled from 9 sources using AI-assisted curation and analysis. Original reporting is attributed below. Learn about our methodology.
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📌 Key Facts
- President Trump personally called off a planned Islamabad trip by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, saying an Iranian offer was "not good enough," complaining about long travel (15+ hours) and "too much time wasted on traveling," asserting the U.S. "has all the cards," and claiming "tremendous infighting and confusion" in Iran's leadership; he said Iran can "call" if it wants talks.
- The White House had publicly announced the envoys would go to Islamabad (press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran requested the talks); Leavitt also said Vice President JD Vance — who led an earlier round of talks — would not travel this time and would remain in Washington with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio monitoring.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Islamabad, met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (and Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir), described the trip as "very fruitful," said Iran shared a "workable framework" to end the war, and then departed for Oman/Muscat as Pakistan continued to mediate.
- Tehran has ruled out direct talks with U.S. envoys: Iran insists any negotiations in Islamabad be indirect and mediated by Pakistan, saying it will relay observations via Pakistani intermediaries and rejecting what it called Washington's "maximalist demands."
- The cancellation effectively scuttled a planned round of ceasefire/peace talks in Islamabad — the second series of U.S.-Iran talks during Operation Epic Fury after an earlier, unsuccessful round — leaving diplomacy looking stalled and raising questions about U.S. next steps to pressure Iran.
- Background and preconditions: Trump unilaterally extended the ceasefire hours before its expiration, but Iran dismissed that extension as "meaningless" while demanding that the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire with Hezbollah hold and that the U.S. lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports as preconditions for substantive progress.
- Military and economic context: Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz while the U.S. maintains a naval blockade of Iranian oil exports; Iran's joint military command warned a continued blockade and "banditry" would elicit a "strong response," and international flights from Tehran have only partly resumed after near-total closure.
- Vice President JD Vance led the initial, unsuccessful Islamabad talks earlier in the month and had been expected to play a continuing role, but his follow-on trip was already postponed and the White House has alternated messaging — at times citing "some progress" from Iran while the president framed Iran as in disarray.
📰 Source Timeline (9)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
April 25, 2026
7:40 PM
Aborted Pakistan Trip Leaves Trump With Tough Choices on Iran Talks
New information:
- Wall Street Journal confirms that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were set to travel to Islamabad on Saturday before President Trump personally called off the trip.
- Trump publicly stated he canceled after receiving an Iranian offer he said 'was not good enough' and complained about spending '15 hours in airplanes' for an inadequate document.
- WSJ characterizes diplomacy as appearing to collapse after the cancellation and frames Trump's next steps as choosing how else to pressure Iran for concessions.
6:43 PM
Latest ceasefire talks fail as Iran's top diplomat leaves Pakistan and Trump tells envoys not to go
New information:
- Confirms that the latest planned ceasefire talks in Islamabad effectively failed before starting, as Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Pakistan and Trump then instructed envoys not to travel.
- Adds Trump's new public explanation that 'too much time [was] wasted on traveling, too much work,' alongside his remark that 'If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!'
- Reports Araghchi's statement that he shared Iran's position on a 'workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran' and that Tehran is waiting to see if the U.S. is 'truly serious about diplomacy.'
- Details Araghchi's meetings in Pakistan with Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, where he laid out Iran's 'red lines' and said Tehran would work with Pakistan's mediation 'until a result is achieved.'
- Notes Iran's joint military command warning that continued U.S. 'naval blockades, banditry, and piracy' would face a 'strong response,' underscoring military risk alongside stalled diplomacy.
- Clarifies that Iran insists any talks in Islamabad will be indirect, with Pakistan carrying messages, and links this stance to prior indirect nuclear talks that were followed by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
6:04 PM
Trump cancels envoys' Pakistan trip, in blow to hopes for Iran war breakthrough
New information:
- Reuters piece provides the verbatim text of Trump's social media post explaining his cancellation, including language that the U.S. 'has all the cards' and that Iran has 'tremendous infighting and confusion' and 'nobody knows who is in charge.'
- Confirms that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi left Islamabad without a breakthrough and then flew to Muscat, Oman, for further meetings with senior officials on 'bilateral relations and regional developments.'
- Quotes Araqchi describing his Pakistan visit as 'very fruitful' and saying he shared Iran's position on a 'workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran' while questioning whether the U.S. is 'truly serious about diplomacy.'
- Clarifies that Tehran has ruled out a new round of direct talks with the U.S. and that an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad said Iran will not accept Washington's 'maximalist demands.'
- Adds that Vice President JD Vance was prepared to travel to Pakistan as well, and that he led an initial, unsuccessful round of talks in Islamabad earlier in the month.
- Notes the current military and economic context: Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz while the U.S. blocks Iran's oil exports, and that the conflict began with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28 and is under a ceasefire.
5:54 PM
Trump cancels Witkoff, Kushner's Pakistan trip for Iran talks, says regime is suffering from 'infighting'
New information:
- Fox News interview provides Trump's first detailed account that he personally stopped Witkoff and Kushner as they were 'getting ready to leave' for an 18-hour flight and told them they would not go.
- Trump says publicly that the United States 'has all the cards' and that envoys will not 'waste' more long trips, reinforcing a harder-line stance against further travel for indirect talks.
- The piece confirms the canceled Pakistan trip would have been the second round of U.S.-Iran talks during Operation Epic Fury, following an initial round earlier this month where no deal was reached.
- It adds that Vice President JD Vance's earlier follow-on trip for a second round was already postponed indefinitely when he was called back to the White House.
- Article juxtaposes Trump's description of 'tremendous infighting and confusion' in Iran's leadership with earlier White House messaging that cited 'some progress from the Iranian side' on a potential deal.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly characterizes his Islamabad visit as 'very fruitful' and outlines that Iran has 'shared' its framework to end the war, while questioning whether the U.S. is 'truly serious about diplomacy.'
5:15 PM
Trump says he canceled Kushner, Witkoff trip for Iran talks: "We have all the cards"
New information:
- Trump publicly framed the cancellation as due to 'too much time wasted on traveling' and 'tremendous infighting and confusion' within Iran's leadership.
- He asserted that the U.S. 'has all the cards' and said if Iran wants talks 'all they have to do is call,' signaling no immediate plan to re-send envoys.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had just a day earlier announced Kushner and Witkoff would travel to Islamabad for 'direct talks,' highlighting a rapid shift.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Islamabad meeting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and then departed for Oman as Pakistan continued mediating.
- The article ties the canceled trip explicitly to ongoing U.S.-Israel bombing of Iran, the continued U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, disrupted Hormuz shipping, and U.S. inflation at its highest level in nearly two years.
4:29 PM
Trump cancels U.S. officials’ trip to Pakistan for Iran negotiations
New information:
- President Trump decided not to send U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad for Iran-related negotiations scheduled for Saturday.
- Trump told Fox News and Axios that the 18-hour flight was not worthwhile "in the current situation" and that Iran can instead call the U.S. if it wants talks.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had already left Pakistan after meetings with Pakistani leaders mediating between Tehran and Washington.
- The White House declined separate comment and pointed reporters to Trump's Fox News and Axios interviews as the explanation for the cancellation.
2:06 PM
Pakistan hosts another round of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran
New information:
- Confirms that on April 25, 2026, Pakistan is actively hosting a new round of indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and senior Pakistani officials.
- Clarifies that Iran still refuses direct talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner; Tehran will communicate via Pakistani mediation.
- States the conflict is entering its ninth week and that President Trump this week extended the June 24 ceasefire, with White House officials citing recent signs of progress from Iran.
- Details current bargaining positions: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Iran has an ‘open window’ if it abandons pursuit of a nuclear weapon in ‘meaningful and verifiable ways,’ while an Iranian diplomatic source rejects ‘maximalist demands.’
- Reports that, days after Trump’s ceasefire extension, international passenger flights have resumed from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport to cities including Medina, Muscat and Istanbul after a near-total closure of Iranian airspace.
- Reiterates that Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz while the U.S. blocks Iran’s oil exports, keeping a key oil corridor shut and sustaining multi-year-high energy prices.
6:35 AM
Iran's foreign minister awaits U.S. delegation to Pakistan for peace talks
New information:
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Fox News that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad on Saturday, April 25, specifically "to go hear" what the Iranians have to say, and said the Iranians asked for the talks.
- Leavitt said Vice President Vance, who led the prior U.S. delegation, will not travel this time and will instead remain in the U.S. with President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio monitoring from Washington.
- President Trump unilaterally extended the ceasefire with Iran this week hours before its expiration without setting a new end date; Iran publicly dismissed this extension as "meaningless" because the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports continues.
- Tehran has made two explicit preconditions for further substantive talks: that the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire with Hezbollah remain in place and that the U.S. lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
- Despite Trump’s announcement that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire by three weeks, Israel’s military acknowledged airstrikes on southern Lebanon and Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel, while Hezbollah was not party to the talks and opposes the arrangement.
- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei reiterated that Araghchi would not hold direct talks with the U.S. in Islamabad and that Iran’s observations would be conveyed via Pakistan.