Why Trump cancelled Pakistan talks on Iran; ‘We have all the cards,’ he says

“I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going is Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership.’ Nobody knows who is in charge, including them,” he added. “Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!”

Announcing the decision, Trump said the US would not continue with travel-heavy diplomacy if outcomes were uncertain. “You probably heard that we canceled the trip. We have all the cards. We’re not going to spend 15 hours in airplanes all the time, going back and forth, to be given a document that was not good enough,” he said.

He added that Washington remains open to talks but expects Tehran to take the initiative. “So, we’ll deal by telephone, and they can call us any time they want.”

‘we got a new paper that was much better’

Trump indicated that the cancellation quickly led to a revised proposal. “Interestingly, immediately when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” he said, suggesting backchannel communication is continuing.

The planned visit was to include US special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior officials, with Pakistan acting as a mediator between Washington and Tehran.

Iran says US yet to show seriousness on diplomacy

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was in Islamabad for talks, said he had shared Tehran’s position on ending the war but was still waiting to see if the US was “truly serious about diplomacy”.

Pakistan has hosted indirect contacts between the two sides in recent weeks, including earlier talks that ended without agreement. Asked whether the cancellation could affect the ceasefire, Trump said, “Haven’t even thought about it.”

He added that Iran had made some offers in response to US demands but said they were insufficient.

“They offered a lot but not enough.”

The US has proposed a long-term suspension of Iran’s enriched uranium programme as part of any deal.

Strait of Hormuz standoff continues

Tensions remain centred on the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has restricted passage following US and Israeli strikes earlier this year.

The US has increased its naval presence in the area, which carries a significant share of global oil shipments.

Israel orders strikes despite ceasefire

In a related development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon”, according to a statement from his office, despite an existing ceasefire.

Recent exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah have continued, with both sides accusing each other of violations.