Efforts to advance ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran stalled after Iran’s top diplomat left Pakistan and President Donald Trump said he had instructed his envoys not to travel to Islamabad.
The breakdown followed plans for renewed negotiations after earlier face-to-face talks this month between US and Iranian officials. But those efforts faltered amid growing distrust and escalating tensions in the region.
“The ball is in Iran’s court,” Trump said on social media. “If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!”
Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday evening, according to Pakistani officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. He traveled to Oman, a country that has previously mediated between Washington and Tehran, and was expected to return briefly to Pakistan before heading to Russia, Iran’s state news agency reported.
Araghchi said on social media that he had presented Iran’s position on a “workable framework” to end what he described as the war on Iran, but questioned whether the United States was serious about diplomacy.
Iranian officials have expressed skepticism about negotiations, citing recent US actions, including a naval blockade of Iranian ports amid tensions over Tehran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Even before the latest developments, Tehran had indicated that any negotiations would be conducted indirectly, with Pakistani officials acting as intermediaries.
Trump later told reporters that shortly after canceling the trip of his envoys — including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — Iran had submitted what he described as a “much better” proposal. He did not elaborate but reiterated that Iran must not acquire a nuclear weapon.
Key issues in the talks include Iran’s nuclear program, its stockpile of enriched uranium, its missile capabilities and its support for armed groups across the region, as well as the ongoing standoff in the Strait of Hormuz.
