Hopes of reviving peace efforts had dimmed after the president canceled a visit to Islamabad by his envoys
The President of the United States Donald Trump stated this Sunday (26) that the Iran could call if it wanted to negotiate an end to the war started by the US and Israel, as the Iranian foreign minister returned to Pakistan for talks despite the absence of his American counterparts.
Hopes of reviving peace efforts had dimmed after Trump canceled a visit to Islamabad by his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, even as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi continued to shuttle between the mediating countries.
“If they want to talk, they can come to us or they can call us. You know, we have a phone. We have secure, reliable lines,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing.”
“They know what needs to be included in the agreement. It’s very simple: they can’t have nuclear weapons, otherwise there’s no reason to get together,” disse Trump.
Iran has long demanded that Washington recognize its right to enrich uranium, something Tehran says it seeks only for peaceful purposes but which Western powers and Israel say are aimed at building nuclear weapons.
While a ceasefire has halted large-scale fighting in the conflict, which began with joint U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, no agreement has been reached on terms to end a war that has killed thousands of people, driven up oil prices, fueled inflation and clouded global growth prospects.
Tehran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of global oil shipments, while Washington has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
After holding talks in Pakistan, Araqchi traveled to Oman – another mediator in the war – where he met the country’s leader, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, on Sunday.
They discussed security in the strait and Araqchi advocated a regional security structure free from external interference, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
Strait of Hormuz
Araqchi later returned to Islamabad, Iranian state media reported. Pakistani government sources said he would hold talks with the country’s leadership before heading to Moscow.
The semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that Araqchi’s talks with Pakistani officials would include “implementing a new legal regime over the Strait of Hormuz, receiving compensation, ensuring there will be no new military aggression by warmongers and lifting the naval blockade.”
According to the report, the talks would not be related to Iran’s nuclear program.
In a speech in Florida before he was rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington when a man opened fire nearby, Trump said he canceled his envoys’ visit due to excessive travel and expense for what he considered an inadequate Iranian offer.
Iran “offered a lot, but not enough”, disse Trump.
An earlier round of talks in Islamabad – in which Vice President JD Vance led the US delegation in opposition to Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf – ended without agreement.
After the cancellation of the last diplomatic trip, two US Air Force C-17 planes, carrying security personnel, equipment and vehicles used to protect US officials, left Pakistan, two Pakistani government sources told Reuters on Sunday.
Iran’s leadership
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone that Tehran would not enter into “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade, according to an Iranian government statement.
He said the US must first remove obstacles, including the maritime blockade, before negotiators can begin laying the groundwork for a deal.
In a post on Truth Social before the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump said there was “tremendous infighting and confusion” within Iran’s leadership.
Pezeshkian said last week that there were “no hardliners or moderates” in Tehran and that the country was united behind its supreme leader.
to war destabilized the Middle East: Iran attacked its Gulf neighbors and the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon was reignited.
Israel’s military issued new evacuation orders for southern Lebanon on Sunday, ordering residents to leave seven towns beyond the “buffer zone” they occupied before the ceasefire, which failed to completely halt hostilities.
