WASHINGTON — Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday visited Oman before returning to Pakistan and then heading to Moscow for talks in a frantic diplomatic shuffle as mediators hoped to keep peace talks between Tehran and the United States alive. However, President Donald Trump stuck with his decision to scrap a planned trip by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan. Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war after Tehran said the US should remove obstacles to a deal, including its blockade of Iran’s ports. But in a sign that indirect efforts were ongoing, the Fars news agency reported that Iran had transmitted “written messages” to the Americans via mediator Pakistan that were “about some of the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz”. Those messages were not, however, part of any negotiations, Fars said. Axios reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed US official and two sources with knowledge of the matter, that Iran gave the US a new proposal through Pakistani mediators on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the ending of the war, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage. While a ceasefire in the US-Israeli war with Iran that began on April 8 has so far held, the economic shockwaves of the war continue to reverberate around the globe. A standoff remains at the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global waterway, as Iran restricts movement through it and the US enforces a blockade of Iranian ports. There had been hopes for a new round of talks on Saturday, with Witkoff and Kushner due to visit Islamabad, but Trump later told Fox News he had scrapped the trip, saying there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing”. On Sunday, Trump told the channel: “I said, we’re not doing this anymore. We have all the cards. 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.” “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. Araghchi arrived in Saint Petersburg on Monday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Telegram, where he is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump is expected to hold on Monday a situation room meeting on Iran with his top national security and foreign policy team, where they are expected to discuss the current stalemate and potential options for the next steps in the war, accordin g to an Axios post on social media. Iran has long demanded Washington acknowledge its right to enrich uranium, which Tehran says it only seeks for peaceful purposes, but which Western powers say is aimed at building nuclear weapons. With his approval ratings falling, Trump faces domestic pressure to end the unpopular war. Iran’s leaders, though weakened militarily, have found leverage in negotiations with their ability to stop shipping in the economically vital Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of global oil shipments. Before heading to Russia, Araghchi returned to Islamabad after holding talks on Sunday in Oman. Iranian state media said Araghchi discussed security in the strait with Omani leader Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said and called for a regional security framework free of outside interference. Araghchi said on X that the focus of his Oman talks “included ways to ensure safe transit that is to benefit of all dear neighbors and the world.” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said topics for Araghchi’s talks with Pakistani officials included “implementing a new legal regime over the Strait of Hormuz, receiving compensation, guaranteeing no renewed military aggression by warmongers, and lifting the naval blockade.” Iran’s envoy in Russia, Kazem Jalali, said in a post on X that Araghchi would meet with Putin “in continuation of the diplomatic jihad to advance the country’s interests and amid external threats.” “Iran and Russia are present in a united front in the campaign of the world’s totalitarian forces against independent and justice-seeking countries, as well as countries that seek a world free from unilateralism and Western domination,” Jalali said. On Saturday, Trump said he canceled 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,” he said. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone on Saturday that Tehran would not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade, an Iranian statement said. He said the United States should first remove obstacles, including its maritime blockade, before negotiators could begin laying the groundwork for a settlement. Disagreements between the US and Iran extend beyond Tehran’s nuclear program and control of the strait. Trump wants to limit Iran’s support for its regional proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, and curb its ability to strike US allies with ballistic missiles. Iran wants sanctions lifted and an end to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah. 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. — AgenciesWASHINGTON — Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday visited Oman before returning to Pakistan and then heading to Moscow for talks in a frantic diplomatic shuffle as mediators hoped to keep peace talks between Tehran and the United States alive. However, President Donald Trump stuck with his decision to scrap a planned trip by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan. Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war after Tehran said the US should remove obstacles to a deal, including its blockade of Iran’s ports. But in a sign that indirect efforts were ongoing, the Fars news agency reported that Iran had transmitted “written messages” to the Americans via mediator Pakistan that were “about some of the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz”. Those messages were not, however, part of any negotiations, Fars said. Axios reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed US official and two sources with knowledge of the matter, that Iran gave the US a new proposal through Pakistani mediators on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the ending of the war, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage. While a ceasefire in the US-Israeli war with Iran that began on April 8 has so far held, the economic shockwaves of the war continue to reverberate around the globe. A standoff remains at the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global waterway, as Iran restricts movement through it and the US enforces a blockade of Iranian ports. There had been hopes for a new round of talks on Saturday, with Witkoff and Kushner due to visit Islamabad, but Trump later told Fox News he had scrapped the trip, saying there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing”. On Sunday, Trump told the channel: “I said, we’re not doing this anymore. We have all the cards. 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.” “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. Araghchi arrived in Saint Petersburg on Monday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Telegram, where he is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump is expected to hold on Monday a situation room meeting on Iran with his top national security and foreign policy team, where they are expected to discuss the current stalemate and potential options for the next steps in the war, accordin g to an Axios post on social media. Iran has long demanded Washington acknowledge its right to enrich uranium, which Tehran says it only seeks for peaceful purposes, but which Western powers say is aimed at building nuclear weapons. With his approval ratings falling, Trump faces domestic pressure to end the unpopular war. Iran’s leaders, though weakened militarily, have found leverage in negotiations with their ability to stop shipping in the economically vital Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of global oil shipments. Before heading to Russia, Araghchi returned to Islamabad after holding talks on Sunday in Oman. Iranian state media said Araghchi discussed security in the strait with Omani leader Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said and called for a regional security framework free of outside interference. Araghchi said on X that the focus of his Oman talks “included ways to ensure safe transit that is to benefit of all dear neighbors and the world.” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said topics for Araghchi’s talks with Pakistani officials included “implementing a new legal regime over the Strait of Hormuz, receiving compensation, guaranteeing no renewed military aggression by warmongers, and lifting the naval blockade.” Iran’s envoy in Russia, Kazem Jalali, said in a post on X that Araghchi would meet with Putin “in continuation of the diplomatic jihad to advance the country’s interests and amid external threats.” “Iran and Russia are present in a united front in the campaign of the world’s totalitarian forces against independent and justice-seeking countries, as well as countries that seek a world free from unilateralism and Western domination,” Jalali said. On Saturday, Trump said he canceled 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,” he said. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone on Saturday that Tehran would not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade, an Iranian statement said. He said the United States should first remove obstacles, including its maritime blockade, before negotiators could begin laying the groundwork for a settlement. Disagreements between the US and Iran extend beyond Tehran’s nuclear program and control of the strait. Trump wants to limit Iran’s support for its regional proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, and curb its ability to strike US allies with ballistic missiles. Iran wants sanctions lifted and an end to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah. 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. — Agencies
