Abroad
Trump cancels envoys' trip to Pakistan for US-Iran negotiations, says they 'sit around talking about nothing'
He claimed Tehran gave a better proposal within minutes of his cancellation.
April 26, 2026, 06:34 PM
U.S. President Donald Trump has cancelled the U.S.'s envoys' trip to Pakistan for a second round of peace negotiations with Iran.
On Apr. 25, he told reporters that there was no point "sitting around talking about nothing", according to AFP.
He said he was unimpressed by Tehran's negotiating position, but claimed that he was sent a revised proposal within 10 minutes of the cancellation.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for Peace Missions were scheduled to lead a delegation meeting with Iranian counterparts in Islamabad, Pakistan toward a ceasefire deal on the weekend of Apr. 25.
Long travel times to 'sit around talking about nothing'
Trump told Fox News in an interview that long travel times of 18 hours was the main factor for the cancellation.
"I’ve told my people a little while ago, they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18 hour flight to go there,'" he said.
"We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing."
On Truth Social, he added: "Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their "leadership". Nobody knows who is in charge, including them."
When asked if this means that the ongoing ceasefire will be lifted and fighting will resume, Trump said it was not, though nothing further has been planned for now, according to CNN.
He added that he received a better offer from Iran just minutes after the cancellation.
"They gave us a paper that should have been better, and interestingly, immediately, when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better," he told reporters.
The sudden cancellation comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi concluded what he called a "very fruitful visit to Pakistan" where he officials in Islamabad.
"Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy," he said in a post on X.
Top image via The White House/Facebook
