Trump Cancels US Delegation's Trip to Pakistan Amid Iran Tensions

US Delegation's Trip to Pakistan Called Off

Washington: President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will not be traveling to Pakistan for discussions with Iran, asserting that the US has a dominant position in the ongoing situation.

During an interview with Fox News, Trump expressed that the lengthy 18-hour flight to Pakistan was unnecessary, given that the US holds significant leverage in the conflict with Iran.

He mentioned that Iran has the option to reach out to the US whenever they wish.

"I informed my team earlier that they were preparing to depart, and I said, 'No, you won't be making that long flight. We have the upper hand. They can contact us anytime, but there will be no more lengthy flights to engage in unproductive discussions,'" Trump stated.

These remarks followed the departure of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi from Islamabad after discussions with Pakistan's leadership.

Araghchi's exit has effectively ruled out the possibility of a second round of negotiations between US and Iranian representatives in Islamabad this week.

The Iranian minister had met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and other high-ranking officials before heading to Oman as part of his three-nation tour.

This was intended to be the follow-up to the initial talks held on April 11-12, which concluded without an agreement.

The conflict escalated following a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran on February 28, prompting a retaliatory response from Iran that has since spread the conflict throughout the Gulf region.