ISLAMABAD (AP) — Diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire between the United States and Iran have collapsed after Iran’s foreign minister departed Pakistan and President Donald Trump canceled his envoys’ planned trip to Islamabad.
Trump suggested Iran must now make the next move in potential negotiations.
“If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” Trump posted on social media.
The planned discussions were intended to build upon groundbreaking direct meetings held earlier this month, where Vice President JD Vance represented the U.S. and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf spoke for Iran.
However, Iranian leadership has expressed doubt about America’s trustworthiness following the U.S. military’s decision to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports in response to Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Two Pakistani government sources, who requested anonymity due to lack of authorization to speak publicly, confirmed to The Associated Press that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed Pakistan’s capital Saturday evening.
Following his departure from Pakistan, Araghchi traveled to Oman, located across the Strait of Hormuz and known for its previous role in mediating peace negotiations. Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported he planned to return to Pakistan briefly on Sunday before continuing to Russia.
“Shared Iran’s position concerning workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy,” Araghchi wrote on social media regarding his Pakistan discussions about what he described as Iran’s non-negotiable demands.
Separately, another ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Iranian-supported Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah faced disruption Saturday as both parties exchanged fire, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to direct his military to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.”
Trump announced an open-ended extension of the Iran ceasefire last week. While this has reduced most combat operations, economic consequences continue mounting two months into the conflict as global transportation of oil, liquefied natural gas, fertilizer and other essential goods faces disruption from the near-complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Military posturing persists from both nations. Iran’s unified military leadership issued a warning Saturday stating that “if the U.S. continues its aggressive military actions, including naval blockades, banditry, and piracy” it will encounter a “strong response.”
Prior to Saturday’s events, Iran’s foreign ministry had already indicated that any discussions would occur indirectly, with Pakistani representatives serving as intermediaries.
Trump later informed reporters that Iran submitted a “much better” proposal within ten minutes of his decision to cancel the Pakistan trip for his representatives — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. While he declined to provide specifics, he emphasized that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons remains a key requirement.
Additional disputed issues in potential negotiations encompass Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, the Strait of Hormuz crisis, concerns regarding Iran’s missile capabilities, and its backing of regional armed groups.
Tehran has pointed out that previous indirect negotiations with Washington last year and early this year regarding its nuclear program — historically the primary source of tensions — concluded with Iran facing attacks from both the U.S. and Israel, heightening its suspicions.
Brent crude oil prices, the global benchmark, have surged nearly 50% since the conflict began due to Iran’s stranglehold on the strait, which typically handles one-fifth of worldwide oil shipments during peaceful periods.
Iran launched attacks on three vessels last week, while the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports. Trump has authorized military forces to “shoot and kill” small boats potentially deploying mines.
Also on Saturday, Iran restarted commercial aviation from Tehran’s international airport for the first time since the conflict began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on February 28. State television reported scheduled departures to Istanbul, Oman’s capital Muscat, and the Saudi Arabian city of Medina.
Since hostilities commenced, casualty figures show at least 3,375 deaths in Iran and at least 2,496 in Lebanon, where Israel-Hezbollah combat resumed two days after the Iran war started. Additional fatalities include 23 in Israel, more than a dozen in Gulf Arab nations, 15 Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 U.S. military personnel in the region, and six U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a three-week extension of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. Hezbollah has remained absent from the Washington-facilitated diplomatic process.
Despite the agreement, Israel conducted strikes in southern Lebanon Saturday, killing at least six individuals it identified as Hezbollah fighters, while multiple rockets and drones were fired at Israel from Lebanese territory.
