Donald Trump attempted to “save face” on Saturday by announcing that he had canceled negotiations with Iranian leaders in Islamabad after they had already ended. His envoys stood up They told the whole world they wouldn’t be there.
Hours after making that very clear, Trump took to Truth Social to say:
“My representative’s trip to Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians was just cancelled. A lot of time wasted traveling, and a lot of work! On top of that, there is massive infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership’. No one knows who is in charge, including them. And also, we have all the cards, and they don’t have any! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!
Iranian officials remain unfazed by the American theatrics
Before returning to Washington later, Trump told reporters that the Islamabad trip did not make any sense because it involved “very long travel.” He said that the United States holds “all the cards,” and added that nothing has changed in recent days.
He also said, “I travel a lot, it takes a long time, and it’s very expensive. I’m a very cost-conscious person.” The president framed the canceled trip as an issue of cost and time, but the reality is that America needs this deal more than Iran.
The Iranians know this, and although both sides claim they want peace, Iran is not willing to push for it. They have made clear what they want in the negotiations, and they are it’s not He budges on one.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were the US envoys expected to travel. The White House said on April 24 that the two men would travel to Islamabad on Saturday for further talks with Iran. On the same day, the Iranian Foreign Minister arrived in Pakistan for meetings, but an Iranian official said that there were no negotiations scheduled with the United States.
This killed the mood quickly. Pakistan was acting as a mediator, and even closed parts of its capital for several days to prepare for possible talks. But by April 25, the Iranian foreign minister had already met with the Pakistani prime minister and the Pakistani army chief, and then left for Oman without any announcement about when the Trump team would arrive.
On April 11, senior American and Iranian officials met in Pakistan for more than 21 hours, but of course no agreement was reached, although both sides said the talks had made progress.
Then on April 19, Trump said his representatives would return to Pakistan, but the plan fell through after Iran said it had not decided whether to join.
On April 21, Trump agreed to extend the ceasefire with Iran for an open period, so that diplomatic efforts could continue. Four days later, the talks were still up in the air. While attending a cryptocurrency event at Mar-a-Lago, where he was scheduled to speak, Trump spent the day taking calls and confirming to the media that the trip had been cancelled.
A New York Post reporter, who was in Islamabad to cover the expected talks, reportedly received a text message from Trump telling her: “Go home!!!” This pretty much told the story. The table was set, the room was ready, and the main event had not happened.
Israel strikes Hezbollah sites, while the Strait of Hormuz worries oil markets
The failed US-Iranian attack occurred while Israel was striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon,” his office said.
The Israeli military also posted several updates on Telegram on Saturday, accusing Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Both Hezbollah and Israel have accused the other side of violating the same agreement, so yes, another ceasefire is already in place in the usual Middle East paper shredder.
While attention remained on Trump, Iran and the lost Islamabad talks, the Israeli military said it was still striking Hezbollah-linked buildings in southern Lebanon. The IDF said the targets were used to threaten IDF forces and Israeli civilians.
Earlier this week, Trump said the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon would be extended for three weeks. This extension is now taking place alongside new strikes and new demands from both sides.
Trump said the US Navy was removing Iranian mines from the Iranian waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, which normally transports about 20% of the world’s oil.
