Trump cancels envoys’ trip to Pakistan for peace talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad again on Sunday, just hours after US President Donald Trump told his special envoys not to go to Pakistan for ceasefire talks.Araghchi had left Pakistan’s capital on Saturday night after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.Pakistan has been trying to get US and Iranian officials back to the negotiating table after Trump last week announced that a two-week ceasefire would be extended indefinitely, citing Islamabad’s request for more diplomatic outreach.Araghchi then flew to Muscat for talks with Oman’s Sultan ‌Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, and he was expected to travel to Moscow after his return trip to Pakistan, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.IRNA described the diplomatic trip as one aimed at “strengthening coordination with partner countries”. Araghchi has also had phone calls with his Turkish and Egyptian counterparts on Iran’s ceasefire with the United States.Amid the flurry of diplomacy, Iranian PresidentMasoud Pezeshkian said Iran would “not negotiate under threat and blockade”.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (right) meeting with ‌Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said in Muscat. Photo: Oman News Agency via Reuters