Trump says Iran can call if it wants to talk, as Iranian envoy returns to Pakistan
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in Islamabad on Friday night. — SOCIAL MEDIA
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran could call if it wanted to negotiate an end to the war launched by the US and Israel, as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi returned to Pakistan for talks despite the absence of US counterparts.
Hopes of reviving peace efforts had earlier receded after Trump scrapped a visit to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, even as the Iranian foreign minister continued to shuttle between mediating countries.
"If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines," Trump said in an interview on Fox News' "The Sunday Briefing."
"They know what has to be in the agreement. It's very simple: they cannot have a nuclear weapon, otherwise there's no reason to meet," Trump said.
Iran has long demanded Washington acknowledge its right to enrich uranium, which Tehran says it only seeks for peaceful purposes but which Western powers and Israel say is aimed at building nuclear weapons.
Although a ceasefire has paused full‑scale fighting in the conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, no agreement has been reached on terms to end a war that has killed thousands, driven up oil prices, fuelled inflation and darkened the outlook for global growth.
Tehran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of global oil shipments, while Washington has imposed a blockade of Iran's ports.
Iranian foreign minister to discuss Hormuz Strait
Araqchi later returned to Islamabad, Iranian state media reported. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Araqchi's talks with Pakistani officials would include "implementing a new legal regime over the Strait of Hormuz, receiving compensation, guaranteeing no renewed military aggression by warmongers, and lifting the naval blockade."
The talks would be unrelated to Iran's nuclear programme, the report said.
Foreign Minister @araghchi arrived in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, a few minutes ago after a one-day trip to Oman. pic.twitter.com/vLjoJPDQD5
Speaking in Florida before being rushed out of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington when a man opened fire nearby, Trump said he cancelled his envoys' visit due to too much travel and expense for what he considered an inadequate Iranian offer.
Iran "offered a lot, but not enough," Trump said.
An earlier round of talks in Islamabad - in which Vice President JD Vance led the US delegation opposite Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf - ended without agreement.
After the latest diplomatic trip was called off, two US Air Force C-17s carrying security staff, equipment and vehicles used to protect US officials flew out of Pakistan, two Pakistani government sources told Reuters on Sunday.
Trump says Iran's leadership in disarray
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone that Tehran would not enter "imposed negotiations" under threats or blockade, according to a statement from the Iranian government.
He said the US should first remove obstacles, including its maritime blockade, before negotiators could begin laying the groundwork for a settlement.
Writing on Truth Social before the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Trump said there was "tremendous infighting and confusion" within Iran's leadership.
Pezeshkian said last week there were "no hardliners or moderates" in Tehran and that the country stood united behind its supreme leader.
The war has destabilised the Middle East - Iran has struck its Gulf neighbours and conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon has been reignited.
Israel's military issued new evacuation orders for southern Lebanon on Sunday, ordering residents to leave seven towns beyond the "buffer zone" it occupied before a ceasefire that has failed to bring a full halt to hostilities.
Read: Iran will not negotiate under pressure, threats or siege: President Pezeshkian
Meanwhile, the Islamabad administration once again closed the Express Highway amid heightened security arrangements for the high-level visit.
Officials said the movement of guests associated with the negotiations prompted strict security measures in parts of the city. Further details regarding the engagements of the visiting delegation were not immediately available.
In an advisory issued today, Islamabad Traffic Police said that diversions would be implemented at different times on Express Highway and Srinagar Highway.
"Traffic flow may be affected during these periods, and commuters are advised to plan their journeys with additional time," it said.
The advisory further urged the citizens to cooperate with traffic staff and exercise patience while travelling.
"Islamabad police remain present on roads to facilitate the public. For further updates and information, citizens were advised to follow the Islamabad Traffic Police WhatsApp channel," it added.
ترجمان اسلام آباد پولیس
ٹریفک ایڈوائزری/ مورخہ 26 اپریل 2026
ایکسپریس ہائی وے اور سری نگر ہائی وے پر مختلف اوقات میں ڈائیورشنز لگائی جائیں گی۔
اس دوران ٹریفک کی روانی متاثر ہوسکتی ہے۔
شہریوں سے گزارش ہے کہ وہ اضافی وقت کے ساتھ سفر کریں۔
شہری ٹریفک پولیس کے ساتھ تعاون کریں… pic.twitter.com/Rhb4VClSsyOman’s Sultan, Iranian FM discuss regional crises, push for diplomacy, peace
Earlier in the day, Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said met Araghchi in Muscat, where both sides discussed the regional situation and mediation efforts aimed at ending the US-Iran war.
“Consultations took place regarding the latest developments in the regional situation, mediation efforts, and endeavours aimed at ending conflicts,” Oman’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.
The Iranian foreign minister departed Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, after discussing the overall situation in the region with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
FM Araghchi, who arrived in Islamabad on Friday night, had posted on X that he would be visiting Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow "to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments."
Also Read: Oman’s Sultan, Iranian FM discuss regional crises, push for diplomacy, peace
President Trump announced on Saturday that he had cancelled the trip of his representative going to Islamabad to meet with the Iranians after the White House said special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were to depart for talks with Araghchi.
"Too much time wasted on travelling, too much work!" Trump wrote announcing his delegations' cancellation. The president added that there is "tremendous infighting and confusion" within Tehran's leadership. "Nobody knows who is in charge, including them," he added, claiming, "we have all the cards, they have none!"
The president concluded, "If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!"
The snag in talks between the US and Iran comes in the wake of a two-week Pakistan-brokered ceasefire that allowed for the first direct consultations between the US and Iran in decades.
Although the two sides engaged in negotiations in Islamabad to de-escalate tensions, the talks ultimately ended with no agreement reached. Araghchi stated after the breakdown in talks that the sides were inches away from what he called the "Islamabad MoU."
Tehran has maintained that the talks ended with no consensus due to the US' maximalist positions, while the US maintains Iran failed to give firm assurances that it would not seek nuclear weapons.
With additional input from web desk.