president Donald Trump A message was sent directly to New York Post reporter Caitlin Doornbos in Islamabad, urging her to “go home!!!” after the U.S. delegation abruptly canceled a planned visit to Pakistan.
The sudden move comes amid reports that diplomatic momentum has slowed amid early optimism about a possible deal and that talks with Iran have hit snags.
Trump announced in a Truth Society post on Saturday afternoon that too much time was “wasted” on travel.
“I just canceled my trip to represent [to] Islamabad, Pakistan, meeting with Iranians,” the president wrote.
Read more: Trump’s “unauthorized” war against Iran will soon reach its 60-day deadline. What happens next?
Why was the trip to Islamabad canceled?
Shortly after taking office as White House press secretary Caroline Levitt According to Fox News, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff “Will be going to Pakistan again tomorrow morning for talks with the Iranians, direct talks mediated by the Pakistanis,” Trump suddenly changed his mind.
In his Truth Society post, Trump blamed Iran’s leadership and cited internal conflicts and misunderstandings. He wrote, “Too much time wasted traveling, too much work! On top of that there is huge infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership’.”
Trump added, “No one knows who’s responsible, including them. And, we have all the cards, they don’t!”
He further said that if Iran continues peace talks, they can contact him directly. “If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” Trump wrote.
Read more: Trump: Canceling US envoy’s trip to Pakistan does not mean restart of war with Iran
Iran talks and regional tensions
Despite the unstable ceasefire agreement reached on April 8, tensions in the Middle East remain high. Despite 21 hours of intense negotiations, Vice President Vance’s penultimate round of negotiations ended on April 12 without an agreement.
The Iranian delegation met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistani mediator Field Marshal Asim Munir ahead of the second round of talks in Islamabad. Tehran has previously said the Iranian team will also travel to Russia and Oman.
The cancellation of the Islamabad trip comes at a critical time for negotiations involving Iran, with conflicting statements from both sides. Trump has recently suggested that a deal is close, even claiming that key points have been agreed upon.
However, Iranian officials have refuted some of the claims, calling them inaccurate and warning that public statements could complicate sensitive diplomatic efforts.
