Diplomatic efforts to end the two-month U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran have stalled after President Donald Trump cancelled a planned visit to Pakistan by senior envoys, while Tehran insisted it would not negotiate under blockade or threat.
Hopes of a diplomatic settlement to the two-month U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran have weakened after President Donald Trump cancelled a planned visit to Islamabad by senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, leaving Pakistan’s mediation effort at an apparent standstill.
The decision followed a weekend visit to Pakistan by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who left without an announced breakthrough. Tehran and Washington remain divided over the conditions for formal negotiations, with Iran demanding relief from U.S. pressure before talks begin and the Trump administration insisting that Tehran’s latest offer remains insufficient.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Iran would not enter what he described as “imposed negotiations” while facing threats and a blockade. According to the Iranian government statement, Pezeshkian said the United States must first remove “operational obstacles”, including restrictions on Iranian ports, before any substantive diplomatic process could proceed.
Araqchi described his meetings in Pakistan as “very fruitful”, but Iranian officials gave no indication that Tehran was prepared to accept Washington’s terms. An Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told Reuters that Iran would not agree to what it regarded as “maximalist demands” from the United States.
Trump, speaking in Florida, said he had cancelled the envoys’ visit because the trip involved excessive travel and expense when set against what he considered an inadequate Iranian proposal. He later said Iran had “offered a lot, but not enough”. In a post on Truth Social, he claimed there was “tremendous infighting and confusion” inside Iran’s leadership and said Tehran could contact Washington directly if it wanted talks.
The failure to move the process forward leaves the conflict in a fragile ceasefire phase. The war began on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Iran has since carried out strikes against Israel, U.S. bases and Gulf states, while the confrontation has disrupted energy markets and raised concerns over the global economic impact of a prolonged regional conflict.
The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the crisis. The waterway normally carries a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Tehran has largely closed the strait, while Washington has imposed restrictions on Iran’s oil exports and ports. The disruption has pushed energy prices higher, adding to inflationary pressures and concerns over global growth.
Earlier signs of possible movement had come from the White House, where press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Washington had seen some progress from the Iranian side. Vice President JD Vance, who led an unsuccessful first round of talks in Islamabad earlier this month, had also been prepared to travel to Pakistan. That prospect has now receded.
Tehran has sought to project unity. Pezeshkian said last week that there were “no hardliners or moderates” in Iran and that the country stood behind its supreme leader. Senior Iranian figures, including parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Araqchi, have echoed that message in recent days.
Washington, by contrast, has argued that Iran’s internal divisions have complicated the search for a settlement. Trump’s comments suggest that the administration sees little urgency in resuming negotiations unless Tehran offers further concessions.
The diplomatic impasse also comes amid wider regional strain. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, according to his office, further testing a three-week ceasefire. The risk for mediators is that renewed fighting on a second front could narrow the political space for any U.S.-Iran settlement.
Pakistan’s role as mediator remains significant but constrained. Islamabad has hosted both Iranian and American diplomatic efforts, yet neither side appears ready to move first. Iran says talks cannot begin under blockade. The United States says Iran’s offer does not go far enough.
