US President Donald Trump has cancelled a planned trip to Pakistan by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff for peace talks with Iran.
Mr Trump posted on Truth Social that the US has “all the cards” and if Iran wants to talk “all they have to do is call”.
He also said the trip was “too much time wasted” on travelling.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were due to go to Pakistan for talks with Iran. (Reuters: Jacquelyn Martin)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad without meeting US envoys, Pakistan officials say.
Mr Araghchi described his visit to Pakistan as “very fruitful”, adding in a social media post that he had “shared Iran’s position concerning [a] workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy”.
Iranian media reported that Mr Araghchi had now flown to Oman’s capital Muscat, and he would meet with senior officials to “discuss and exchange views on bilateral relations and regional developments”.
Tehran has ruled out a new round of direct talks with the US and an Iranian diplomatic source said Tehran would not accept Washington’s “maximalist demands”.
The deadlock leaves the world’s biggest economy and a major oil power locked in a confrontation that has already pushed energy prices to multi-year highs, stoked inflation and darkened global growth prospects.
On Truth Social, Mr Trump 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!!!“
Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Israeli forces to step up attacks on Hezbollah once the peace talks were called off.
(AP: Ronen Zvulun/Pool/File)
Adding to regional strains, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his troops to attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, his office said, further testing a three-week ceasefire.
Tehran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, while Washington blocks Iran’s oil exports.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier said the US had seen some progress from the Iranian side and that Vice-President JD Vance was ready to travel to Pakistan. Vance led an unsuccessful first round of talks in Islamabad this month.
The US-Iran conflict, in which a ceasefire is in force, began with US-Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28.
Iran has since struck Israel, US bases and Gulf states.
Reuters
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