Trump Says He’s No Longer Sending Envoys To Pakistan For Iran Talks

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Recent ceasefire talks between the United States and the United States Iranian It appeared to have failed before it began Saturday, as Tehran’s top diplomat left Pakistan and President Donald Trump said shortly after that he had told envoys not to travel to Islamabad.

The talks were planned to follow historic face-to-face talks earlier this month between the United States, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, and Iran, led by parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf. But Iranian officials have questioned how they can trust the United States once its forces are mobilized. Blockade Iranian ports In response to Iran’s dominance in the war Strait of Hormuz waterway

“If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” Trump said on social media: “Too much time wasted traveling, too much work!” Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad, the White House said Friday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday evening, two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Araghchi later said on social media, “We have shared Iran’s position on the workable framework to permanently end the war against Iran. We have yet to see whether the US is truly serious about diplomacy.”

another one truceRelations between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah were rocked on Saturday when both sides opened fire on each other, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order the military to “violently attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.”

Trump announced this week that he will serve indefinitely extension of the ceasefire with Iran. Many paused fightBut economic fallout Two months after the start of the war, global shipments of oil, liquefied natural gas, fertilizer and fertilizer are increasing. other materials It was interrupted by the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Both sides continued to make military threats. Iran’s joint military command warned on Saturday that it would face a “strong response” if the “US continues its aggressive military actions, including naval blockades, banditry and piracy.”

Even before Saturday’s developments, Iran’s foreign ministry had said that any talks would be indirect and that Pakistani officials would convey a message. In Pakistan, Araghchi met with Chief of General Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about what he called Iran’s red lines in the negotiations.

Araghchi traveled to Oman, which mediated pre-war talks with the country on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz. The foreign minister will visit Pakistan again on Sunday before visiting Russia, state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Trump later told reporters that within 10 minutes of the envoys canceling their visit to Pakistan, Iran sent a “much better” offer with no details. He emphasized that one of his conditions was that Iran “do not have nuclear weapons”.

The controversial points in the talks are: Iran’s enriched uranium and the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as concerns about Iran’s missile program and support for armed proxies in the region.

Tehran stated that indirect talks with the United States last year and earlier this year regarding its nuclear program, which has long been at the center of tensions, resulted in Iran being attacked by the United States and Israel, which increased caution.

Price Brent crude oil, The international standard is almost 50% higher than at the start of the war, as Iran controls the strait through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes in peacetime.

While Iran attacked three ships this week, the USA continues the blockade of Iranian ports. Trump gave instructions to the army “Shoot and kill” small boats it can plant a mine.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said his country will send minesweeper ships to the Mediterranean to help clear Iranian mines from the strait when the conflicts end.

Also on Saturday, Iran resumed commercial flights from Tehran’s international airport for the first time since the war began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28. According to state television, the flights were planned to depart for Istanbul, Oman’s capital Muscat and Saudi Arabia’s Medina.

Officials say that at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the war, and at least 2,496 people have been killed in Lebanon, where new clashes broke out between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah two days after the start of the Iran war.

Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks. Hezbollah did not participate in diplomacy mediated by Washington.

However, Israel struck southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least six of the Hezbollah militants it was aiding, and launching scores of rockets and drones from Lebanon towards Israel.

Additionally, 23 people were killed in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab countries. 15 Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 US soldiers in the region and six members of the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon were killed.

Ahmed reported from Islamabad and Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; and Will Weissert in Washington contributed.