President Donald Trump cancelled negotiations with Iran at the last minute on Saturday.
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — Trump’s son-in-law who played a key role in various historic diplomatic measures such as the Abraham Accords and the Hamas-Israel hostage negotiations — were set to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, over the weekend for a second round of talks with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Trump then told Fox News he had canceled the trip, telling his representatives that “you’re not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.”
BREAKING: President Trump tells FOX News’ @aishahhasnie that he has canceled Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff’s planned trip to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran.
President Trump telling FOX News exclusively, “We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want.” pic.twitter.com/40b4x8Vms9
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 25, 2026
“I’ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18 hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want,’” Trump said.
It was reported earlier that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, after briefly meeting with the host country’s prime minister, had already departed Islamabad.
Trump’s analysis of the situation was certainly correct — the U.S. holds many, if not all, of the cards in the conflict with Iran.
The Islamic theocracy’s economy is faltering amid the U.S. chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier Saturday, U.S. Central Command showed off its dominance in the region with a photo of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group patrolling the Indian Ocean.
Ships with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group sail in the Indian Ocean, April 23. pic.twitter.com/KS3ACIuWqE
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 25, 2026
Earlier this week, the U.S. had intercepted two Iranian dark fleet ships attempting to transfer Iranian oil.
“Both ships, the Tifani, the Majestic X, and their crews remain in U.S. custody, and we will continue to conduct similar maritime interdiction actions and activities in the Pacific and Indian Oceans against Iranian ships and vessels of the dark fleet,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine remarked, per Fox News.
Iran’s economy and energy infrastructure are faltering under the U.S. chokehold.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pleaded with the Iranian people to reduce their electricity usage on state-sponsored television Saturday.
“Instead of turning on 10 lights at home, turn on two lights. What is wrong with that?” he said.
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