President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: Iran can call if it wants to negotiate an end to the war waged by the United States and Israel, President Trump said on Sunday, as Iran’s foreign minister returned to Pakistan for talks despite the absence of his American counterparts.
Hopes for reviving peace efforts had declined earlier after Trump canceled the visit of his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, even as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi continued to move between the mediating countries. “If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. There’s a phone. We have nice, secure lines,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.” He added: “They know what the agreement should include.
“It’s very simple: they cannot have a nuclear weapon, otherwise there would be no reason to meet.” Trump said in Florida that he canceled his envoys’ visit due to excessive travel and expenses in exchange for what he considered an insufficient Iranian offer. Trump said Iran “offered a lot, but not enough.” Two Pakistani government sources said on Sunday that after the cancellation of the last diplomatic flight, two American C-17 planes carrying security personnel, equipment and vehicles used to protect American officials left Pakistan.
After holding talks in Pakistan, Araqchi headed to Oman – another mediator in the war – where he met with the country’s leader Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on Sunday. They discussed security in the Strait, and Araqchi called for a regional security framework free of external interference, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Araqji meets Mounir Local media reported that Araghchi later returned to Islamabad on Sunday and met with Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
After holding talks with Mounir, Araghchi left for Moscow. There was no official comment from Pakistan regarding the meeting, which apparently focused on the ongoing peace efforts in Islamabad. The Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) quoted Tehran’s ambassador, Kazem Jalali, as saying, “Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.” Earlier on Sunday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Araqchi’s talks with Pakistani officials were expected to include “implementing a new legal regime on the Strait of Hormuz, obtaining compensation, ensuring no renewed military aggression by warmongers, and lifting the naval blockade.” Iranian leadership is in disarray Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif by phone that Tehran will not enter into “imposed negotiations” under threats, according to the Iranian government. Pezeshkian said the United States must first remove obstacles, including the naval blockade, before negotiators can begin laying the foundation for a settlement.
