In a sharp diplomatic turn, US President Donald Trump announced that he has cancelled the planned visit of a delegation led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner to Islamabad. The team was scheduled to participate in the second round of peace talks aimed at securing a long-term resolution to the escalating conflict in West Asia. The development was shared by Fox News White House correspondent Aishah Hasnie in a post on X, where she stated that Trump cancelled the visit by the delegation from Washington due to the long-distance engagements being unnecessary and unproductive.
"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. 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'", Trump was quoted as saying by Fox News.
Iran delegation leaves Islamabad
Only moments before the US cancellation was revealed, the Iranian team headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed Islamabad after intensive discussions with the Pakistani leadership. According to Al Jazeera, the delegation handed over an official list of demands for the United States and Israel, proposing conditions for a complete resolution to the ongoing regional conflict.
Araghchi later stated on Telegram that he had conveyed Iran's principled stance on the ceasefire situation and the need for ending what he described as an "imposed war" on Iran by US and Israeli forces. He is now set to continue his diplomatic engagements in Oman and Russia.
Pakistan's mediation effort appears to crumble
The sudden departure of the Iranian delegation, combined with Washington's decision to cancel its trip, has left Pakistan's aspirations of hosting a breakthrough round of peace talks in disarray. The unfolding situation mirrors the disappointing outcome of the earlier dialogue in Islamabad, where US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker MB Ghalibaf held a marathon 21-hour meeting without any substantial progress. With both sides now disengaging from Islamabad-led efforts, the path toward a meaningful second round of negotiations appears more uncertain than ever.
