Islamabad/Washington, Apr 26 : Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday after holding discussions with Pakistan’s top leaders and sharing with them Tehran’s list of demands to permanently end the war, raising uncertainty over the future of second round of peace talks with the US.
As Araghchi left Pakistan, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
“I just cancelled the trip of my representatives” to Islamabad to meet with the Iranians, Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Too much time wasted on travelling, too much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their “leadership.” Nobody knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” he added.
Araghchi, who arrived in Islamabad late Friday, met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and other top officials.
“Very fruitful visit to Pakistan, whose good offices and brotherly efforts to bring back peace to our region we very much value. Shared Iran’s position concerning workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
In a statement, PM Shehbaz said he had “a most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation. We also discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of Pakistan–Iran bilateral relations.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.
Dar said PM Shahbaz emphasised the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for peace and stability in the region and beyond during the meeting, which lasted around two hours.
Soon after, PM Shehbaz dialled Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and discussed the evolving regional situation.
He appreciated Iran’s continued engagement and “reaffirmed that, with the support of friends and partners, Pakistan remains committed to serving as an honest and sincere facilitator – working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability in the region.”
“During their warm and cordial conversation that lasted fifty minutes, the two leaders had a detailed exchange of views on the current regional situation and ongoing efforts to promote peace and stability in the region,” the prime minister’s office said.
While reassuring the Iranian President of Pakistan’s firm commitment to regional peace, PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan would continue its sincere and honest endeavours to promote regional peace and security.
“Both leaders agreed to continue their close coordination,” the PM Office said.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the Foreign Minister presented Tehran’s official stance on ending the US-Israeli war and reinforcing regional stability to Pakistan’s Army Chief Munir on Saturday.
A senior Pakistani official told PTI that Araghchi met Munir in a “formal huddle and discussed matters concerning peace talks with the US.”
Araghchi is now headed to Oman on the second leg of his three-nation tour. From Muscut, he will travel to Russia.
Meanwhile, Trump told Fox News that it’s not worth the US delegation making the 18-hour flight to Pakistan when the US holds all the cards in the conflict with Iran.
He added that the Iranians can call the US at any time they want.
“I’ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘nope, you’re not making an 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing’,” Trump told the channel.
Araghchi’s visit was expected to be the second round of talks after the first on April 11-12 ended without a deal.
Earlier, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Baqaei said that “no meeting” was planned to take place between Iran and the US during the visit of Araghchi, who will also travel to Oman and Russia.
Foreign Minister Dar on Saturday said that Pakistan is facilitating the Iran-US talks, and it will continue with efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Dar, who held a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review the latest developments in the region, underlined that Pakistan’s official policy statements on the Iran-US facilitation process are only those issued by official sources, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“Unnamed Pakistani officials or sources, whether quoted in print or social media, do not reflect Pakistan’s official position,” he added.
Dar also advised print and electronic media to refrain from speculative reporting and focus on official statements only.
In a related development, Dar spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and shared developments regarding Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts.
On Friday night, Dar discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and they emphasised the importance of sustained engagement to advance peace and stability in the region and beyond, the FO said.
Dar has been leading Pakistan’s telephone diplomacy and has been regularly talking to the foreign ministers of various countries since the conflict between the US and Iran began.
The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
Meanwhile, large parts of Pakistan’s capital have remained under a tight security lockdown for over a week now.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
