Trump Cancels Witkoff and Kushner’s Trip to Pakistan Amid Failing U.S.-Iran Talks

President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip to Pakistan by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for Iran peace talks, stating that negotiations would continue by phone instead.

The decision came after Tehran declined to meet directly with American negotiators, according to Trump, who said he had since received a new offer from Iran that offered “a lot but not enough.” He did not provide further details on the offer.

Trump cited the long travel time as a key reason for canceling the trip, saying the delegation would not spend 15 hours flying back and forth to deliver a document that was not good enough. He added that talks would be handled over the phone and that Iran could contact the U.S. Anytime they wished.

The president also repeated prior claims suggesting uncertainty about Iran’s leadership, arguing that infighting among Iranian officials was complicating diplomatic efforts. Iran’s top diplomat, who met with Pakistani mediators on Saturday, said he had yet to see if Washington was “truly serious about diplomacy.”

The canceled trip was intended to be a second round of talks between U.S. And Iranian representatives, following an initial meeting in Islamabad on April 12. That earlier meeting included Witkoff, Kushner, and representatives from Pakistan and Iran.

Meanwhile, in Lebanon, Israel has launched more deadly strikes on southern Lebanon despite a recently extended ceasefire agreement. Iran-backed Hezbollah has responded by firing rockets into Israel.

Trump’s decision to cancel the trip underscores the stalled nature of peace efforts, with talks having hit repeated roadblocks due to disagreements and internal divisions within Iranian leadership.