WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump cancelled his envoys' trip to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran on Saturday (April 25), saying there was no point "sitting around talking about nothing", but added the war would not immediately resume.
Trump said he scrapped the visit after being unimpressed with Tehran's negotiating position, adding that Iran sent a revised proposal within minutes.
"They gave us a paper that should have been better and - interestingly - immediately, when I cancelled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better," he told reporters, without elaborating.
The White House had said Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff were heading to Pakistan for talks aimed at moving "towards a deal", but Trump told Fox News he had called it off.
"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," he said.
Asked if the cancellation meant a return to hostilities, Trump said: "No, it doesn't mean that. We haven't thought about it yet."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had just wrapped up a visit to Islamabad, where he met Pakistan's military chief Asim Munir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
Iran said Araghchi left for Muscat and would return to Pakistan after meetings in Oman before travelling on to Russia for talks on ending the war launched by the United States and Israel on Feb 28.
Araghchi described the Pakistan trip as "very fruitful" but said he had "yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy".
Even before Trump's move, prospects for talks were uncertain. Iranian state television said Araghchi had no plans to meet US officials and that Islamabad would act as a conduit for proposals.
Sharif said he had spoken to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and reiterated Pakistan's commitment to facilitating "durable peace". Iranian state TV said Pezeshkian told Sharif Iran would not be coerced by Washington's "hostile actions" into negotiations.
Pressure to end the war has intensified as the Strait of Hormuz - a vital oil and gas route - remains closed.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had no intention of lifting their blockade, which has roiled energy markets.
"Controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House's supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran," they said on their official Telegram channel.
The United States has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in retaliation. Iran's military warned that continued US "blockading, banditry and piracy" would draw a response.
Efforts to resume US-Iran talks have stalled, with Tehran refusing to engage while the naval blockade remains. Iran has allowed only limited shipping through the strait.
European Council President Antonio Costa said the waterway "must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling," calling it "vital for the entire world."
On the war's Lebanese front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on Hezbollah after accusing the Iran-backed group of violating a ceasefire extended earlier this week.
Lebanese state media reported attacks in at least four locations in the south - two strikes in quick succession in a town in Bint Jbeil district, another on a town in Tyre district, and strikes on two more towns in Nabatieh district.
The strikes in Nabatieh and Bint Jbeil killed six people, according to the health ministry.
Israel's military said it "eliminated" three Hezbollah operatives in "a vehicle loaded with weapons", another riding a motorcycle, and two more armed members elsewhere.
Trump announced the three-week truce extension on Thursday (April 23) and voiced optimism about peace after meeting Israeli and Lebanese envoys.
But Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, urged Lebanon to withdraw from talks and warned any deal would lack national consensus. Netanyahu has accused Hezbollah of trying to "sabotage" the peace process.
In Sidon, Ahmad Shumar, 74, and his family prepared to head back to their hometown in the south after abandoning an earlier attempt due to fears of Israeli attacks.
"We are going home now, not knowing whether there will be war or peace," he said, surrounded by bags and mattresses. - AFP
