The diplomatic push in Islamabad hit a sudden dead end Saturday as President Donald Trump abruptly canceled the mission of his special envoys, just as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was spotted heading for the exit.
The high-profile mediation effort collapsed into a game of diplomatic “he-said, she-said,” leaving Pakistan’s attempts to host a second round of peace talks in shambles.
Speaking to Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie, President Trump confirmed he had ordered Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to stand down, explicitly forbidding them from making the long journey to Pakistan.
The President framed the decision as a refusal to participate in lopsided diplomacy, stating that the U.S. currently holds “all the cards” in the ongoing standoff.
“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,'” Trump told Fox News. “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.”
RELATED: Iranian Top Diplomat Leaves Pakistan Without Meeting U.S. Envoys
The cancellation followed Araghchi’s firm refusal to meet face-to-face with the Americans. The Iranian diplomat spent the day meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, but he reportedly departed Pakistan Saturday evening without ever crossing paths with a U.S. official.
Two Pakistani officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed Araghchi was seen off at an airport near Islamabad by senior local dignitaries.
The sudden breakdown marks a stark contrast to earlier this month, when Vice President JD Vance engaged in over 20 hours of direct, face-to-face negotiations with the Iranians. This time, Tehran insisted that any communication be handled through Pakistani intermediaries, a condition the White House appears to have rejected.
With Araghchi gone and the U.S. delegation grounded, the prospect of a breakthrough for the Strait of Hormuz crisis seems more distant than ever.
While Araghchi posted on Telegram that Tehran would keep working through Pakistan “until a result is achieved,” Trump’s latest comments suggest the U.S. is done with the shuttle diplomacy format, leaving the phone line to Washington as the only open door.
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