US President Donald Trump said that he has cancelled a planned trip to Pakistan by special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner.
Trump told Fox News via phone, "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.'
Separately, Trump also told Axios via phone that he sees “no point of sending them on an 18 hour flight,” adding that “We can do it just as well by telephone. The Iranians can call us if they want. We are not gonna travel just to sit there."
Later, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, “I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going to Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians. Too much time wasted on traveling, 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.
The first round was held in Islamabad two weeks ago but failed to reach an agreement to end the conflict that began on February 28 and engulfed the entire Middle East.
Those talks came after Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire on April 8, which was later extended by Trump.
Iran has refused to engage in direct talks with the US, saying its observations would be conveyed to Pakistan.
