Donald Trump cancels US envoy trip to Pakistan for ceasefire talks with Iran
Donald Trump has confirmed the cancellation of his plan to send US envoys for ceasefire talks in Pakistan, saying “too much time” has been “wasted on traveling”.
“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!!!”
Key events
Blog closing
That’s where we’ll leave our live Middle East coverage for today. Thanks for following along and we’ll be back with another live blog later.
Hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Israeli war in Iran have receded, with talks aimed at ending the two-month conflict at a standstill and both Tehran and Washington showing little willingness to soften their terms.
The Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi has left mediator Pakistan empty-handed, and US president Donald Trump cancelled a planned visit to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, dealing back-to-back blows to peace prospects. Araqchi described his visit to Pakistan as “very fruitful”.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone that Tehran would not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade, according to a statement from the Iranian government.
Pezeshkian said the US should first remove “operational obstacles”, including its blockade on Iranian ports, before negotiators can lay any groundwork to resolve the conflict.
An Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad said Tehran would not accept “maximalist demands” from the US.
US says it is hunting for explosive mines in latest push to open Hormuz strait
Donald Trump says the US Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz.
The vital sea route for Gulf oil is closed to most ships, putting a strain on the global economy.
Experts say sweeping for underwater explosives could take months despite a tenuous ceasefire between the US and Iran.
Any future claims that the US cleared the waterway – where 20% of the world’s oil typically passes – might fail to convince commercial freighters and their insurers that it’s finally safe.
“There’s only so much the US can do to give that confidence back to commercial shipping,” said Emma Salisbury, a scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s National Security Program.
Seeking out mines is among the latest tactics announced by the Trump administration to get traffic moving again through the strait as rising energy prices and wider economic effects pose a political risk.
Strait of Hormuz blockade deepens
Pressure to end the war has intensified as the strait of Hormuz – an important global oil and gas route – remains closed.
But Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they had no intention of lifting their blockade, which has roiled energy markets.
“Controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House’s supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran,” the Guards said on their official Telegram channel.
The US has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in retaliation.
In a statement carried by state media, Iran’s military warned that continued US “blockading, banditry and piracy” would draw a response.
Efforts to resume US-Iran talks have stalled, with Tehran refusing to engage while the naval blockade remains. Iran has allowed only limited shipping through the strait.
European Council president Antonio Costa said the waterway “must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling”, insisting that it was “vital for the entire world”.
Summary of the day so far
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Donald Trump canceled his plan to send US envoys for ceasefire talks in Pakistan. “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!”
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Trump said later that Iran “offered a lot but not enough” after he announced the cancellation. He claimed he received a better offer from Iran just minutes after the trip was called off. “They gave us a paper that should have been better, and interestingly, immediately, when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” Trump told reporters.
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon”, according to a statement from his office, despite a ceasefire with Lebanon that Trump recently said had been extended by three weeks.
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Another four people have been killed in Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor al-Shaqif, according to the official Lebanon National News Agency. Lebanon’s ministry of health announced on Saturday that the death toll from Israeli attacks had risen to 2,496.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had also killed 15 Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, despite the three-week extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.
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Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, issued a brief statement on social media following his meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi. “Had a most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation. We also discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations,” Sharif said.
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan has conducted telephone conversations with his Iranian and Pakistani counterparts to discuss the latest developments in the US-Iran negotiation process, sources within the Turkish foreign ministry told Reuters.
Thousands protest in Tehran against US and Israel – in pictures
Thousands of people in Tehran gathered in Revolution Square on Saturday evening to protest against the US and Israel.
Netanyahu orders Israeli military to ‘vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday ordered his military to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon”, according to a statement from his office, despite a ceasefire with Lebanon that Trump recently said had been extended by three weeks.
Four people were killed on Saturday in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s state news agency reported, while the Israeli military said Hezbollah had fired rockets at Israel.
A wave of Israeli strikes, artillery fire and drone activity have been reported elsewhere in southern and eastern Lebanon in a sign of escalatory attacks despite an ongoing ceasefire.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to visit mediator Pakistan again after completing his trip to Oman and before traveling to Russia, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported on Saturday.
Araghchi earlier left the Pakistani capital Islamabad without any sign of a breakthrough in peace talks with Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials over the Iran war.
Trump claims he received better offer from Iran minutes after calling off trip
Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran “offered a lot but not enough” after he announced the cancellation of US envoys visiting Pakistan for ceasefire talks.
He claimed he received a better offer from Iran just minutes after the trip was called off.
“They gave us a paper that should have been better, and interestingly, immediately, when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
The president wouldn’t offer specifics about what was in the latest proposal other than saying: “They offered a lot.” But he stressed that one of his conditions is that Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon”.