Trump Cancels Aides’ Trip for Iran Talks, Saying, ‘We Have aAl the Cards.’

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump on Saturday called off a trip by two of his top negotiators to Islamabad, Pakistan, just before they were set to leave for talks about a potential deal to end the war in Iran.

“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,’” Mr. Trump said in a statement. “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.”

Steve Witkoff, the special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, had been scheduled to travel to Pakistan on Saturday, along with top aides to Vice President JD Vance. Officials in Pakistan have been mediating between the United States and Iran to try to end more than a month of war in the Middle East.

The cancellation of the trip is the latest sign that Iran and the United States are far from reaching a deal to end the war. A previous trip to Islamabad by Mr. Vance proved unsuccessful, and the Americans appear no closer to achieving the administration’s political goals, including convincing Iran to turn over its nuclear stockpile and curtail its future program. The two sides are also locked in a stalemate over control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows.

Mr. Trump’s decision came after Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, who had been in Islamabad for talks with Pakistani officials, left the country and traveled to Oman. No direct meetings had been scheduled with U.S. officials.

After leaving Islamabad, Mr. Araghchi said in a social media post that he had shared with Pakistani officials Iran’s position on a “workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran.” He did not give details of the latest proposal. “Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy,” he added. » | Luke Broadwater | Saturday, April 25, 2026

Iran War: Trump Threatens to ‘Blow Up Whole Country’

Apr 19, 2026 | Iranian state media has just announced a team from Iran will not be taking part in the new round of peace talks in Pakistan.

President Trump said he was sending a delegation to Islamabad for the talks on Monday night, and warned every power plant and every bridge in Iran would be knocked out if the regime does not agree to his terms.

Ukraine "Peace Plan" Talks Kick Off in Saudi Arabia | DW News

Aug 5, 2023 | Officials from about 30 countries have been invited to participate in peace talks for Ukraine in the Saudi port city of Jeddah on August 5 and 6. They include three-fifths of the BRICS countries — Brazil, India and South Africa — as well as other nations in the Global South, such as Indonesia, Mexico, Zambia and Egypt. The governments of the United Kingdom and Poland, as well as representatives of the European Union have also confirmed their attendance. Russia has not been invited.

Talks begin in Saudi Arabia on how to end Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv seeks support of publicly neutral countries as China sends envoy and Moscow says it will ‘keep an eye’ on meeting »

Ukraine Peace Talks: We Should Be 'Really Wary' of the Russians

Mar 29, 2022 • Lord Peter Ricketts, former British Permanent Representative to NATO, says the Russians have a 'morbid fascination' with poisons and chemical weapons and if he was attending the informal peace talks in Turkey today, he would be 'extremely careful'. He said the negotiations are to be welcomed, but he was very sceptical of the outcome.

Familiar Sounds in Mideast Peace Calls
Oct. 2 - Israel welcomes efforts by international mediators to resume peace talks; with Palestinians calling for settlement halt before talks. Deborah Lutterbeck reports

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Middle East Peace Talks in Doubt Over Israeli Homes Plan
THE TELEGRAPH: Plans to restart Middle East peace talks have been thrown into doubt after Israel received worldwide condemnation over plans to build 1,600 homes in the occupied West Bank.

President Shimon Peres (R) with the visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden at the President's residence in Jerusalem. Photo: The Telegraph
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of "the ruining of trust" and said there were questions over whether fresh negotiations could now take place.

Israel's announcement left visiting US Vice President Joe Biden deeply embarrassed after a day in which he had heaped praise and affection on the country's leaders.

He expressed his fury by arriving 90 minutes late for a private dinner with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, on Tuesday night and reiterated his condemnation yesterday.

Speaking in Ramallah after meeting Mr Abbas, he accused Israel of "undermining the trust that we need right now" and complicating efforts to restart peace talks with the Palestinians after a year in deep freeze.

Mr Netanyahu claimed he knew nothing about the announcement of the planned construction in a Jerusalem suburb in the occupied West Bank.
But it threatened to torpedo plans for indirect peace talks that should have crowned the first visit to the region by Mr Biden.

In Strasbourg, EU high representative for foreign affairs Baroness Ashton told the European parliament she wanted to "join Vice-President Biden in condemning the decision." UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said settlement activity "undermines any movement towards a viable peace process." >>> Matthew Kalman in Jerusalem | Wednesday, March 10, 2010

MPs Urge Ministers to Open Middle East Peace Talks with Hamas Moderates
THE GUARDIAN: Commons foreign affairs committee says policy of non-engagement is achieving little

The government is facing fresh calls today from MPs to open contacts with the militant Palestinian Hamas movement in an attempt to inject new momentum into the Middle East peace process.

The Commons foreign affairs committee said the current policy of non-engagement with Hamas - which controls the Gaza strip - appeared to be achieving little.

It reiterated its call of two years ago for the government to "urgently" consider ways of engaging politically with "moderate elements" within the group.

The government refuses to talk to Hamas until it accepts the principles of the international Quartet - the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia - of non-violence and acceptance of the existence of the state of Israel. >>> Press Association | Sunday, July 26 2009