Pakistan Scrambles to Revive U.S.-Iran Peace Talks After Trump Cancels Envoy Trip

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s top political and military leaders are working urgently to salvage stalled U.S.-Iran peace negotiations after President Donald Trump canceled a planned meeting between his envoys and Iranian officials in Islamabad this weekend.

Two Pakistani officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday that senior leadership is scrambling to bridge the gap following Trump’s decision to keep special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner from making the trip. Pakistani mediators continue to push for indirect talks, relaying messages between the two sides in hopes of restarting formal discussions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad earlier in the weekend but held no direct meetings with U.S. representatives. He spent much of Sunday in Oman — which borders the Strait of Hormuz — focusing on maritime issues, including Tehran’s push for a toll-collection mechanism on vessels transiting the critical waterway. Iranian state media reported he is expected to return briefly to Islamabad before heading to Moscow.

Pakistan-led mediators are actively trying to address key sticking points, according to a regional official involved in the process. Iran continues to insist that the U.S. must lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports before any new round of talks can begin. The blockade has cost Tehran hundreds of millions of dollars daily in lost oil revenue and remains fully in effect despite the indefinite extension of the ceasefire Trump announced last week.

Trump, in comments to Fox News and on Truth Social, said he called off the envoys’ travel because “we have all the cards.” He added that Iran quickly sent a “much better” proposal after the cancellation and stressed that Tehran “will not have a nuclear weapon.” Trump reiterated: “If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!”

Iran has maintained that talks would remain indirect, with Pakistani officials acting strictly as go-betweens. Tehran has also questioned U.S. trustworthiness given the ongoing blockade and previous strikes during earlier negotiation windows.

The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan in early April and later extended indefinitely, has paused major fighting but has not resolved core disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions, or regional proxies. Economic fallout continues, with Brent crude oil prices nearly 50% higher than before the conflict began.

A Pakistani political analyst, Syed Mohammad Ali, described the situation as a “sensitive and complicated process” with expected “ups and downs.” He noted that the ceasefire is holding and that both sides appear to want an end to the conflict “in a way that does not backfire at home.”

Pakistan’s mediation efforts represent the latest attempt to move the fragile truce toward a lasting agreement. No new meeting date has been announced.