SAEDNEWS: US President Calls Iran’s Proposals ‘Insufficient’ Amid Continued Calls for Negotiation Conditions
According to SaedNews political service, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday evening, before returning to Washington, D.C., in a conversation with reporters that the planned trip of his Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad, Pakistan, had been canceled. He stated:
“We are not going to spend 15 to 16 hours on a plane just to present a document that is not good enough.”
According to CNN, the U.S. president added:
“So we will stay in contact with them by phone, and they can reach out to us whenever they want.”
Trump claimed that Iran had made many proposals, “but they were not sufficient.”
He also asserted that Iran had presented a new written proposal that was “better.”
These remarks about the cancellation of Witkoff and Kushner’s trip to Pakistan come while a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry had previously stated, ahead of the visit to Pakistan, that no meeting with the U.S. delegation was scheduled during the trip.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, during his visit to Islamabad, expressed appreciation for the efforts of senior Pakistani officials to help end the U.S.- and Israeli-imposed war against Iran and to establish a ceasefire, as well as for their hospitality in hosting negotiations. He outlined Iran’s principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war.
At the end of his visit, Araghchi stated that he had presented Iran’s position on a “practical and implementable framework for a permanent end to the war against Iran,” adding that it remains to be seen whether the United States truly has the will to pursue diplomacy.
Trump further commented on Pakistan’s mediating role, saying:
“Pakistan is fantastic. I think the Field Marshal is great, and I also think the Prime Minister of Pakistan is excellent.”
It is noted that the Pakistani side had attempted to organize another round of talks during a two-week ceasefire period after the first round on April 12 ended without results.
However, Iran stated that following U.S. violations of commitments during the ceasefire period, including naval pressure and threatening rhetoric by American officials, it would not negotiate under threats.
It appears that Iran’s Foreign Minister’s visit is in response to last week’s visit by Pakistan’s army chief to Tehran and is aimed at exchanging proposals and messages with the American side through Islamabad’s mediation.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry officials indicated that Araghchi may again travel to Pakistan after completing his visit to Oman and before traveling to Russia. Parts of his accompanying delegation who had joined him in Islamabad returned to Tehran for consultations and instructions regarding post-war issues and were expected to rejoin him in Islamabad later.
