Pakistan's top leaders are urgently working to restart negotiations between the United States and Iran after President Donald Trump canceled a planned meeting in Islamabad, leaving his envoys at home. Attempts at ceasefire talks collapsed when Tehran's top diplomat departed Pakistan and Trump's representatives failed to travel to the capital.
Trump's Social Media Statement
The U.S. president indicated the ball was now in Iran's court. "If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!" Trump wrote on social media. The negotiations were intended to build on historic face-to-face talks earlier this month between Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. However, Iranian officials have expressed doubts about trusting the U.S. after American forces began blockading Iranian ports in response to Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
Diplomatic Movements
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday evening, according to two Pakistani officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. He traveled to Oman, a country that has previously mediated peace talks, and said he would return to Pakistan on Sunday before heading to Russia, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported. "Shared Iran's position concerning workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy," Araghchi posted on social media, outlining what he called Iran's red lines for negotiations.
Regional Tensions
Meanwhile, another ceasefire — between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah — was shaken on Saturday as both sides exchanged fire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to "vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon." Iran had previously stated that any talks would be indirect.
Last week, Trump announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran. While most fighting has paused, the economic fallout is growing two months into the war, as global shipments of oil, liquefied natural gas, fertilizer, and other supplies are disrupted by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Both sides continue to make military threats. Iran's joint military command warned on Saturday that "if the U.S. continues its aggressive military actions, including naval blockades, banditry, and piracy," it will face a "strong response."
Indirect Talks and Conditions
Even before Saturday's developments, Iran's foreign ministry said any talks would be indirect, with Pakistani officials acting as go-betweens. Trump later told journalists that within 10 minutes of canceling the trip to Pakistan for his envoys — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — Iran had sent a "much better" proposal. He did not elaborate but stressed that one of his conditions is that Iran "will not have a nuclear weapon." Contentious points in talks also include Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, the Strait of Hormuz standoff, concerns about Iran's missile program, and its support for armed proxies in the region.
Historical Context
Tehran has noted that indirect talks with the U.S. last year and early this year over its nuclear program — the issue long at the center of tensions — ended with Iran being attacked by the U.S. and Israel, adding to its wariness.
Strait of Hormuz Standoff
The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, is nearly 50% higher than when the war began because of Iran's grip on the strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes in peacetime. Iran attacked three ships last week, while the U.S. maintains a blockade on Iranian ports. Trump has ordered the military to "shoot and kill" small boats that could be placing mines.
Also on Saturday, Iran resumed commercial flights from Tehran's international airport for the first time since the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28. Flights were scheduled to depart for Istanbul, Oman's capital Muscat, and the Saudi city of Medina, according to state-run television.
Casualty Toll
Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and at least 2,496 in Lebanon, where the Israel-Hezbollah fighting resumed two days after the Iran war started. Additionally, 23 people have been killed in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 U.S. service members in the region, and six U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have also been killed.
Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks. Hezbollah has not participated in the Washington-brokered diplomacy. However, Israel struck southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least six people it said were Hezbollah militants, and several rockets and drones were launched at Israel from Lebanon.
