Trump Cancels Witkoff and Kushner Trip as Iran-U.S. Peace Talks Stall

Iran and the United States have slid into what the New York Times describes as an “awkward limbo of neither peace, nor war,” after “plans for U.S.-Iran peace talks derailed.”

“US President Donald Trump has cancelled a planned trip by two officials - envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner - to Pakistan for talks on the Iran war”

BBC

The paper frames both sides as trying to outlast the other in a standoff with “drastic stakes for the global economy,” while warning that “there are risks in a stalemate without a deal.”

BBC

In that limbo, the New York Times quotes Sasan Karimi, a vice president in Iran’s previous government and a political scientist at the University of Tehran, saying, “What’s happening is something akin to what we had at the end of the 12-day war, which is ending the war, but without any permanency.”

It also cites an article published by Khorasan and redistributed by other Iranian outlets that calls the moment “a strategic limbo” and says, “Both sides have stepped back from the costs of full-scale war but have not moved beyond the logic of force and pressure.”

The same New York Times account links the current pause to “the dynamics since the U.S.-Israeli bombardment of Iran ended in a cease-fire earlier this month,” and notes that both sides argued they emerged with the upper hand.

CNN and NBC News describe the same diplomatic deadlock in operational terms: CNN reports that Trump said talks will continue by phone after Iran declined to meet directly with American negotiators, while NBC News says hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough faded as efforts to revive talks stalled.

The CNN account also records Trump’s insistence that the war could end “very soon,” and his claim that the United States is “going to be very victorious.”

The diplomatic stalemate sharpened after President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by U.S. envoys to Pakistan for Iran peace talks, a move multiple outlets tied to the collapse of face-to-face momentum.

CNN reports that Trump scrapped plans for his envoys to visit Pakistan, and it quotes Trump telling reporters, “If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us,” while reiterating that the war would “come to an end very soon.”

CBS News

CBS News similarly says U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “had been expected to head to Islamabad Saturday for peace talks,” but Trump said he canceled the trip to Pakistan.

BBC frames the decision as a cancellation of “a planned trip by two officials - envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner - to Pakistan for talks on the Iran war,” and it records Trump’s Truth Social message: “We have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!”

NPR adds that Trump canceled the Saturday trip minutes after Pakistani officials said Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had left Islamabad, and it quotes Trump saying, “So, we'll deal by telephone and they can call us any time they want.”

In the same NPR account, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had earlier said the envoys were being sent “to go hear” what the Iranians have to say, and she described the goal as “a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal.”

NBC News adds that Trump canceled the trip because of “too much travel and expense for what he considered an inadequate Iranian offer,” and it records Trump’s line, “Iran ‘offered a lot, but not enough.’”

While Trump canceled the envoys’ trip, Iran’s foreign minister continued a regional diplomatic tour that CNN and CBS described as moving from Pakistan and Oman toward Russia.

“• Hectic diplomacy: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is headed to Russia and is expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss the status of negotiations, according to state media, after visiting with key mediators in Pakistan and Oman this weekend”

CNN

CNN reports that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was headed to Russia and expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin on Monday, after visiting mediators in Pakistan and Oman this weekend.

CNN also says Araghchi left Islamabad, and it describes his route as including a short stop in Muscat, Oman, before returning to Islamabad for another meeting.

CBS News says Araghchi returned to Islamabad on Sunday for talks focused on ending the war with the U.S., and it notes that he had departed for Moscow after a nearly 5-hour stopover in Islamabad, Pakistan.

DW similarly reports that Russia expects Araghchi in Moscow on Monday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and it states that Araghchi had been on a trip to Pakistan, Oman, and then Pakistan again over the weekend.

CBS News adds that while in Pakistan, Araghchi met with Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, and it also describes phone calls Araghchi made with France’s Foreign Minister Jean Noel-Barrot and with the Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.

The same NPR account records that Araghchi said, “Purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments,” and it adds that he noted he would also visit Oman and Russia.

The diplomatic freeze is intertwined with the Strait of Hormuz and the movement of ships, where CNN reports a near-standstill and a U.S. directive affecting traffic.

CNN says “Shipping through Hormuz remains near-standstill,” adding that “Vessel traffic is still severely reduced compared to pre-war levels,” and it notes that MarineTraffic data showed only “a handful of crossings” on Sunday.

CNN Al-Iqtisadiyya

CNN also reports that the U.S. Central Command said “American forces have directed 38 ships to turn around, or return to port,” and it adds that Central Command did not give locations of where ships were stopped.

CNN connects the pressure to the broader negotiation posture, stating that Trump said talks will continue by phone after Iran declined to meet directly, while Iran’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Nikzad warned the Strait of Hormuz will “under no circumstances” return to its previous state.

CNN attributes Nikzad’s warning to an order from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and records Nikzad’s claim that choking Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab could affect “25% of the world’s economy.”

CBS News provides a financial snapshot of the same pressure, reporting that West Texas Intermediate was selling for $96.50 a barrel Sunday, up 2% since the market closed on Friday, and that Brent crude was trading at $107.75 per barrel Sunday.

NBC News adds that Iran has “largely closed the Strait of Hormuz” and that Washington has imposed a blockade of Iran’s ports, while also quoting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian telling Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Tehran would not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade.

As the U.S.-Iran talks stall, the next steps in the diplomatic process remain uncertain, but the sources lay out a sequence of conditional moves and competing demands.

“With plans for US-Iran peace talks derailed, at least for now, Tehran and Washington are sinking into an awkward limbo of neither peace, nor war, each hoping to outlast the other in a standoff with drastic stakes for the global economy”

Dailyhunt

CNN describes Trump’s position that talks can proceed by phone and that the war could end “very soon,” while it also notes that Araghchi’s expected meeting with Vladimir Putin in Russia is meant to discuss the status of negotiations.

Dailyhunt

CBS News adds that Araghchi’s calls with France and Qatar focused on the ceasefire and on reopening sea lanes, and it quotes the Qatari ministry pressing for “freedom of navigation” and warning against using sea lanes “as a bargaining chip or pressure tactic.”

DW underscores the uncertainty by saying it is “not clear when or if more direct talks with the US might take place in Pakistan, or potentially elsewhere,” even as it reports that Araghchi conveyed Iran’s conditions to Pakistani mediators.

NBC News provides the clearest statement of Iran’s precondition, quoting Masoud Pezeshkian that Tehran would not enter “imposed negotiations” and that the U.S. should remove obstacles, including its maritime blockade, before negotiators could begin laying the groundwork for a settlement.

At the same time, CNN and NPR show the U.S. framing that it is not sending envoys and that the Iranians must call, with CNN quoting Trump’s “If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us,” and NPR recording Trump’s line that “we're not sending people to travel 18 hours to meet.”

The Al Jazeera report adds a separate layer of escalation risk by describing Trump’s threat that the U.S. would “destroy Iran's infrastructure and power plants if it did not accept his terms,” while also saying Iran warned it would not participate and accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire and imposing an illegal blockade.