Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Pakistan to continue peace talks, despite US President Donald Trump cancelling a planned visit by American envoys to Islamabad.
Araghchi is likely to meet the top Pakistani officials again to present Iran’s framework to resolve the ongoing conflict.
He had visited Islamabad a day earlier ahead of travelling to Qom, while other Iranian envoys returned to Tehran for consultations.
The developments comes after the White House announced that Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and recommended Jared Kushner would visit Pakistan for negotiations; however, Trump later cancelled the trip, stating that “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!”
Additionally, Trump claimed Iran quickly revised its proposal following his decision, though he didn’t offer details.
When asked if cancelling the visit signaled escalation in situation, stating it didn’t mean a return to war.
Separately, Trump was evacuated from an assassination attempt at an event in Washington after gunfire was reported outside the hall, though he remained unhurt.
In Oman, Araghchi met Sultan Haitham bin Tariq to discuss regional security and efforts to end the war.
He criticised the US military presence in the Middle East, calling it a source of instability, and he expressed doubt about Washington’s sincerity in trying to resolve the ongoing conflict.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it would maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway used for global trading, underscoring ongoing regional tensions.
