'We Have All the Cards,' Trump Says After Pulling Witkoff and Kushner From Pakistan as Iran Walks Away
'We have all the cards, they have none,' President Donald Trump declared on Saturday after abruptly cancelling a planned trip by his two top envoys to Pakistan, where a second round of peace negotiations with Iran had been expected to take place. The announcement came hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed Islamabad without agreeing to meet with the American delegation, dealing a significant blow to diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the ongoing US-Iran conflict.Trump told Fox News in a phone interview: '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. 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.'Envoys Stood DownThe US delegation had been expected to be led by White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Vice President JD Vance was not set to attend but would have remained on standby in case his presence was deemed 'necessary', the White House said.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said on Friday that 'the Iranians want to talk' and 'they want to talk in person,' making Trump's reversal all the more striking. In a Truth Social post, Trump cited 'tremendous infighting and confusion' within Iran's leadership, writing: 'Nobody knows who is in charge, including them.'Iran's PositionAraghchi left Islamabad without committing to meet Witkoff and Kushner, and the Iranian foreign minister expressed in his meetings that Iran demands the lifting of the US naval blockade as a pre-condition for talks. About an hour after his departure, Trump pulled the plug on the trip entirely.Araghchi posted on X: 'Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy.' He later flew to Oman, where Pakistani officials said he was expected to consult with Omani leadership, before proceeding to Russia.Pakistan's foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, posted on social media that the meeting with the Iranian delegation lasted around two hours, adding that Pakistan emphasised 'the importance of dialogue and diplomacy.'
Trump yanks delegation, boasts ‘we hold all the cards’ as Iran exits talks.
TruthSocial/@realDonaldTrump
No Deal, But No War — For NowDespite the dramatic breakdown, Trump insisted the cancellation did not signal a return to active hostilities. Asked by Axios whether the move meant he would resume the war, Trump said: 'No. It doesn't mean that. We haven't thought about it yet.'This second round of talks had been expected to build on the first round held in Pakistan on 11 April, which also did not result in a deal. Vance had also been prepared to travel to Islamabad earlier that week for negotiations, but his trip was called off after the Iranians refused to agree to terms.Iran's military, meanwhile, remained defiant, with its central command warning that if 'the invading US military continues blockading, banditry, and piracy in the region, they should be certain that they will face a response from Iran's powerful armed forces.'The collapse of the second Pakistan round raises serious questions about the viability of a negotiated settlement to the US-Iran conflict. With Tehran insisting on the lifting of the naval blockade before further talks and Washington refusing to budge, the diplomatic path narrows considerably. Any resumption of full-scale hostilities would carry profound consequences for regional stability, global energy markets, and the broader Middle East peace process — particularly given Iran's ongoing engagement with Oman and Russia as alternative mediators.
