TRUMP CALLS OFF US ENVOYS' TRIP
Source says Iran 'will not accept maximalist demands'
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan.
U.S. President Donald Trump makes a fist after disembarking Air Force One as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Saturday.
Israeli tanks drive Saturday in Lebanon, seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border.
WAR IN MIDDLE EAST
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump canceled a trip by two U.S. envoys to Iran war mediator Pakistan on Saturday, a setback to peace prospects, after Iran's foreign minister spoke only with Pakistani officials and departed Islamabad.
When peace talks failed to materialize Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his troops to "forcefully" attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, his office said, further testing a three-week ceasefire.
Trump told reporters in Florida that he decided to call off the planned visit by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and his own son-in-law Jared Kushner because the talks in Islamabad involved too much travel and expense, and Iran's latest peace offer was not good enough for him.
Before boarding Air Force One on Saturday for a return flight to Washington, Trump said Iran improved an offer to resolve the conflict after he canceled the visit, "but not enough."
In a social media post, Trump also wrote there was "tremendous infighting and confusion" within Iran's leadership.
"Nobody knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!" he posted on Truth Social.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier left the Pakistani capital without any sign of a breakthrough in talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials.
Araghchi later described his visit to Pakistan as "very fruitful," adding in a social media post that he "shared Iran's position concerning (a) workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy."
Iranian media reported that Araghchi flew to Oman's capital, Muscat, saying he will meet with senior officials to "discuss and exchange views on bilateral relations and regional developments."
Sharif wrote in a social media post that he spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian about the regional security situation and told him that Pakistan was committed to serving "as an honest and sincere facilitator — working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability."
Tehran ruled out a new round of direct talks with the United States.
Washington and Tehran are at an impasse as Iran largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, while the U.S. blocks Iran's oil exports.
The conflict, in which a ceasefire is in force, began Feb. 28 with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Iran since carried out strikes against Israel, U.S. bases and Gulf states, and the war pushed up energy prices to multiyear highs, stoking inflation and darkening global growth prospects.
Araghchi "explained our country's principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran," said a statement on the minister's official account on the Telegram app.
Asked about Tehran's reservations over U.S. positions in the talks, an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told Reuters: "Principally, Iranian side will not accept maximalist demands."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously said the U.S. saw some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and hoped more would come over the weekend, and Vice President JD Vance was ready to travel to Pakistan as well.
Vance led a first round of unsuccessful talks with Iran in Islamabad this month.
Four days after Trump extended the ceasefire to reconvene negotiators, international flights resumed Saturday from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, Iranian media said. The first passengers departed for Medina, in Saudi Arabia, Muscat and Istanbul, with operations expected to accelerate in coming days.
"Well, it's a good feeling. When flights resume, trade is done, and people can do their jobs. It's a good feeling," said one passenger at the airport, where passengers lined up at check-in desks.
Iranian airspace largely was closed since the start of the war. Tens of thousands of flights were canceled, rerouted and rescheduled worldwide, shutting much of the Middle East's airspace because of missile and drone threats.
Oil prices surged this past week, with Brent crude futures soaring 16%, on uncertainty over the fate of the peace talks.
Shipping data on Friday showed five ships transited the Strait of Hormuz in 24 hours, compared to about 130 a day before the war. The ships included an Iranian oil-products tanker but none of the vast crude-carrying supertankers that normally feed global energy markets.
