Trump rules out return to war with Iran after canceling Pakistan trip
Shafaq News- Washington
US President Donald Trump clarified that canceling a planned envoy trip to Pakistan does not signal a return to war with Iran, Axios reported on Saturday, as negotiations remain stalled.
Trump cancelled the planned visit by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, where they had been expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, citing Iran's negotiating position as the reason. He said the trip was not justified under current conditions and that Tehran could initiate contact by phone for talks.
Asked whether the move signaled a return to war, Trump said the United States had not ruled out military options but had not yet formulated a course of action, adding that Washington holds decisive leverage in the standoff.
He later pointed to a delay in the anticipated meeting until Tuesday, describing travel under those circumstances as a “waste of time.” A counterproposal delivered through Pakistani mediators also fell short, though a revised version followed shortly after the cancellation.
"They gave us a paper that should have been better and interestingly the minute I cancelled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better …they offered a lot but not enough," Trump said.
Before heading to Muscat, Araghchi met in Islamabad with Pakistan’s prime minister, army chief, and foreign minister as part of mediation efforts without committing to meet Witkoff and Kushner if they traveled to Pakistan.
Iran has already made clear in previous rounds that lifting the US naval blockade remains a precondition for further negotiations, a position that continues to complicate efforts to advance talks.
The United States had earlier extended a two-week ceasefire set to expire on April 22, citing internal divisions in Tehran and a request from Pakistani leaders for more time to allow negotiations to proceed. Iranian officials pushed back against the characterization, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and President Masoud Pezeshkian each posting identical statements on X asserting that Iran recognizes no distinction between radicals and moderates, describing the country as unified under the Supreme Leader and vowing to make “the aggressor regret its actions.”
