Trump Cancels Envoy Trip to Islamabad After Iran Stands U.S. Up

President Trump canceled a planned trip by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad after Iranian officials in Pakistan declined to meet U.S. representatives, the president wrote on Truth Social. He said the delegation would not travel because negotiations were not happening and the trip would waste time and money.

The White House announced on April 24 that Witkoff and Kushner would go to Pakistan for follow-up talks with Iranian officials. Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Pakistan that day for meetings with Pakistani leaders but informed hosts there were no scheduled negotiations with U.S. envoys. Pakistan had prepared to host talks and restricted parts of its capital in anticipation.

Iran’s delegation met Pakistan’s prime minister and the army chief and then departed for Oman without confirming any meeting with the U.S. team. In his Truth Social post, the president wrote: “I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going to Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians. 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. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” He later told reporters the trip made no sense because of travel time and cost, adding, “Too much travelling, takes too long, too expensive. I’m a very cost conscious person.”

U.S. and Iranian officials met in Pakistan on April 11 for more than 21 hours but did not reach an agreement; both sides said the talks produced progress on some issues while core differences remained. On April 19, the president announced his representatives would return to Pakistan, but Iran then said it had not decided whether to participate. On April 21, the U.S. extended an existing ceasefire with Iran for an open-ended period to allow diplomacy to continue.

While the Islamabad visit stalled, military activity persisted in the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon,” his office said. The IDF reported strikes on sites in southern Lebanon it described as linked to Hezbollah and as threats to Israeli forces and civilians. Hezbollah and Israeli forces have each accused the other of violating the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. Earlier this month, the U.S. announced a three-week extension of that ceasefire.

Separately, the U.S. Navy has carried out operations to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil transit route that normally handles about one-fifth of global petroleum shipments.

With the Islamabad meeting canceled, no new date has been announced for face-to-face talks between the U.S. envoys and Iranian officials, leaving the status of the current diplomatic effort unresolved.