Trump: U.S. negotiators will no longer fly to Pakistan
American officials will no longer fly to Pakistan for talks with Iran on ending the war, U.S. President Donald Trump has stated.
In a phone interview with the hosts of The Sunday Briefing, aired on Sunday, April 26, on Fox News, the American leader justified this decision by citing the U.S.'s dominance in the war with Iran.
"We hold all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us or call. We have a phone," Trump said. "We have good, secure lines, although, honestly, I'm not sure any phone line can be completely secure, but we have secure lines."
According to the U.S. President, sending negotiators to Pakistan takes too much time. "If they want, we can talk, but we’re not going to send people on an 18-hour journey to meet," Trump concluded.
Last Saturday, the U.S. President canceled an already announced trip by his negotiators, Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Islamabad, where another round of talks with Iran was scheduled for late April.
"Too much time is spent on travel, too much work! Besides, there is enormous infighting and confusion in their 'leadership.' No one knows who’s in charge, including themselves. Plus, we have all the cards, and they have none!" Trump wrote on his social media.
On the same day, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who represents the country in the talks, left Pakistan. "We presented Iran’s position on realistic frameworks for a final end to the war against Iran. It remains to be seen how seriously the U.S. is committed to diplomacy," Araghchi emphasized.
As a reminder, the first direct talks between the U.S. and Iran took place in Pakistan’s capital on April 11, a few days after a truce was reached between the two countries. The discussions did not yield positive results. The very next day, Trump announced the start of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran later accused the U.S. of violating the truce.
Tehran has called the lifting of the blockade on Iranian ports by the Americans a condition for progress in the talks. Trump, however, insists that Iran must stop demanding the right to resume its nuclear program, claiming that Tehran’s development of nuclear weapons was the reason for the start of the war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran.
Meanwhile, a pause in hostilities continues in the Middle East, initially introduced for two weeks. Shortly before the designated truce period expired, Trump stated that the ceasefire would be extended "until the talks are concluded one way or another." The U.S. President claims he made this decision at the request of the Iranian side.
Source: DW
