ISLAMABAD(National Times)-An Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, US President Donald Trump cancelled the visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were expected to depart for Pakistan later in the day for talks with Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi termed his visit to Pakistan \u201cvery fruitful\u201d. In a post on X, he said, \u201cVery fruitful visit to Pakistan, whose good offices and brotherly efforts to bring back peace to our region we very much value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShared Iran\u2019s position concerning a workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Pakistani source told Reuters<\/em> that Araghchi delivered Tehran\u2019s negotiating demands, as well as its reservations about US demands, to Pakistani officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Araqchi \u201cexplained our country\u2019s principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran\u201d, said a statement on the minister\u2019s official Telegram account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRegional developments and bilateral ties came under discussion,\u201d state-run Pakistan TV<\/em> reported<\/a> about Araghchi\u2019s meeting with the premier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CDF Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Iran\u2019s Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam were also present during the meeting held at the Prime Minister\u2019s House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PM Shehbaz called the meeting a \u201cmost warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe also discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of Pakistan\u2013Iran bilateral relations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dar said that the meeting lasted \u201capproximately two hours\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe prime minister emphasised on the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for peace and stability in the region and beyond,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier in the day, Araghchi held a separate meeting with CDF Munir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMatters of mutual interest and the overall regional situation were discussed,\u201d state-run Pakistan TV<\/em> reported<\/a> about the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hours after Araghchi departed the federal capital, the US president told Fox News<\/em> he had cancelled a planned trip to Pakistan by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff for peace talks with Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, \u2018Nope, you\u2019re not making an 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you\u2019re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing,\u2019\u201d Fox News reported the president as saying in a phone call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked whether the cancellation meant he would resume the war, Trump told Axios: \u201cNo. It doesn\u2019t mean that. We haven\u2019t thought about it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Subsequently, he posted on his Truth Social platform, reiterating that the visit had been cancelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToo much time wasted on traveling, too much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their \u2018leadership.\u2019 Nobody knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had said that Witkoff and Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday for a second round of talks with Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI confirm special envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks \u2014 direct talks \u2014 intermediated by the Pakistanis, who have been incredible friends and mediators throughout this entire process, with representatives from the Iranian delegation,\u201d she told Fox News<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEveryone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary, but first, Steve and Jared will be going over there to report back to the president, the vice president and the rest of the team,\u201d Leavitt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Araghchi arrived<\/a> in Islamabad late on Friday as renewed diplomatic activity gathered pace. He was received by Deputy PM Dar and CDF Munir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahead of the visit, he had held separate telephone conversations with Dar and CDF Munir, focusing on the cea\u00adsefire and the diplomatic track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The visit comes at a delicate moment in the US-Iran standoff, with a fragile, indefinitely extended ceasefire holding on paper, while core disputes over the naval blockade, nuclear restrictions and sequ\u00adencing of concessions remain unresolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments. Our neighbours are our priority,\u201d Araghchi said in a post on X before departing Tehran for his three-country tour, which also includes stops in Oman and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his statement, Baqaei clarified, \u201cNo meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US. Iran\u2019s observations would be conveyed to Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said Araghchi would meet with Pakistani \u201chigh-level officials in concert with their ongoing mediation and good offices for ending American-imposed war of aggression\u201d and the restoration of peace in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first round<\/a> of direct talks between the US and Iran was held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which ended after more than 20 hours without agreement but kept the diplomatic channel open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, exchanges have continued indirectly through Pakistan, with both sides calibrating positions while avoiding a formal breakdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ceasefire, originally brokered<\/a> around April 7 and 8, has been extended<\/a> without a defined timeline, creating space for diplomacy but also prolonging uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Officials in Islamabad described the situation as fluid, with mediation efforts focused on bridging the sequencing gap between US demands and Iranian preconditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ISLAMABAD(National Times)-An Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. At the same time, US President Donald Trump cancelled the visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/a>Trump cancels US envoys\u2019 visit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Pakistan\u2019s diplomatic push<\/h2>\n\n\n\n