Donald Trump said he cancelled a planned trip by U.S. representatives to Islamabad to meet Iranian officials, citing delays and internal divisions within Iran’s leadership.
“Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work,” Trump said in a statement on TruthSocial Saturday afternoon.
“There is tremendous infighting and confusion within their leadership. Nobody knows who is in charge… we have all the cards, they have none.”
The remarks came as Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, left Pakistan on Saturday evening before any sign that U.S. envoys had arrived for expected indirect ceasefire talks, two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press.
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“Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy,” Araghchi posted after meeting with Pakistani officials.
Iran has said any negotiations would be conducted indirectly, with Pakistan relaying messages between the two sides.
An open-ended ceasefire has paused most fighting, but the economic fallout grows with global shipments of oil, liquefied natural gas, fertilizer and other supplies disrupted by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials have openly asked how they can trust the U.S. after talks last year and early this year over Tehran’s nuclear program ended with it being attacked by the U.S. and Israel.
The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, is still nearly 50% higher than when the war began because of Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, leaving global economic uncertainty high.
Meanwhile, Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend a ceasefire by three weeks. Hezbollah has not taken part in the Washington-brokered talks.
– With files from The Canadian Press
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