An Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump cancelled the visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were expected to depart for Pakistan later in the day for talks with Iran.
Araghchi’s meetings
A Pakistani source told Reuters that Araghchi delivered Tehran’s negotiating demands, as well as its reservations about US demands, to Pakistani officials.
Araqchi “explained our country’s principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran”, said a statement on the minister’s official Telegram account.
“Regional developments and bilateral ties came under discussion,” state-run Pakistan TV reported about Araghchi’s meeting with the premier.
CDF Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Iran’s Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam were also present during the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s House.
PM Shehbaz called the meeting a “most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation”.
“We also discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of Pakistan–Iran bilateral relations,” he said.
Dar said that the meeting lasted “approximately two hours”.
“The prime minister emphasised on the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Araghchi held a separate meeting with CDF Munir.
“Matters of mutual interest and the overall regional situation were discussed,” state-run Pakistan TV reported about the meeting.
Trump cancels US envoys’ visit
Hours after Araghchi departed the federal capital, the US president told Fox News he had cancelled a planned trip to Pakistan by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff for peace talks with Iran.
“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, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing,’” Fox News reported the president as saying in a phone call.
Asked whether the cancellation meant he would resume the war, Trump told Axios: “No. It doesn’t mean that. We haven’t thought about it yet.”
On Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had said that Witkoff and Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday for a second round of talks with Iran.
“I confirm special envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks — direct talks — intermediated by the Pakistanis, who have been incredible friends and mediators throughout this entire process, with representatives from the Iranian delegation,” she told Fox News.
“Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary, but first, Steve and Jared will be going over there to report back to the president, the vice president and the rest of the team,” Leavitt said.
Pakistan’s diplomatic push
Araghchi arrived in Islamabad late on Friday as renewed diplomatic activity gathered pace. He was received by Deputy PM Dar and CDF Munir.
Ahead of the visit, he had held separate telephone conversations with Dar and CDF Munir, focusing on the ceasefire and the diplomatic track.
The visit comes at a delicate moment in the US-Iran standoff, with a fragile, indefinitely extended ceasefire holding on paper, while core disputes over the naval blockade, nuclear restrictions and sequencing of concessions remain unresolved.
“The purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments. Our neighbours are our priority,” Araghchi said in a post on X before departing Tehran for his three-country tour, which also includes stops in Oman and Russia.
In his statement, Baqaei clarified, “No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US. Iran’s observations would be conveyed to Pakistan.”
He said Araghchi would meet with Pakistani “high-level officials in concert with their ongoing mediation and good offices for ending American-imposed war of aggression” and the restoration of peace in the region.
The first round of direct talks between the US and Iran was held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which ended after more than 20 hours without agreement but kept the diplomatic channel open.
Since then, exchanges have continued indirectly through Pakistan, with both sides calibrating positions while avoiding a formal breakdown.
The ceasefire, originally brokered around April 7 and 8, has been extended without a defined timeline, creating space for diplomacy but also prolonging uncertainty.
Officials in Islamabad described the situation as fluid, with mediation efforts focused on bridging the sequencing gap between US demands and Iranian preconditions.
