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President Trump said Saturday he called off plans for U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to travel to Pakistan for peace talks. He cited wasted time and confusion over Iran leadership, adding, “we have all the cards.”
“I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going [to] Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work!”
“Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership,'” he said. “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!!!”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday the duo would head to Islamabad for “direct talks” in pursuit of a lasting peace deal more than 50 days after the U.S. and Israel started bombing Iran.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Islamabad on Friday and Saturday, and spoke with Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif. He later departed for Oman. The Pakistanis have been serving as intermediaries for discussions between Iran and the U.S.
The war continues to disrupt shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally flows. Oil prices have jumped as a result, and the conflict has pushed inflation in the U.S. to its highest level in nearly two years.
A U.S. blockage of Iranian ports and vessels is also continuing, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying Friday it will stay in place “as long as it takes.” He indicated the Trump administration is in no hurry to reach a peace deal with Iran and echoed Mr. Trump’s recent comments that the U.S. is in control of the timeline for Operation Epic Fury.
In Iran, the president there urged people to reduce electricity use, after U.S.-Israeli strikes damaged energy infrastructure, state media reported Saturday.
“Instead of turning on 10 lights at home, turn on two lights. What is wrong with that?” President Masoud Pezeshkian said, The Associated Press reported.
