WASHINGTON (The Thursday Times) — President Donald Trump said he has cancelled a planned trip by his representatives to Islamabad, where they were expected to meet Iranian officials for talks.
In a public statement, Trump said the visit was called off because too much time was being spent on travel and preparations.
“I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going to Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians,” Trump said.
He added that there had been “too much time wasted on traveling, too much work.”
Trump also criticised Iran’s leadership, claiming there was internal confusion and division over who was in charge.
“There is tremendous infighting and confusion within their leadership. Nobody knows who is in charge, including them,” he said.
The US president further claimed Washington held the stronger negotiating position.
“We have all the cards, they have none,” Trump said.
He added that if Iran wanted talks, it could contact the United States directly.
“If they want to talk, all they have to do is call,” he said.
The cancelled trip appears to halt, for now, a potential diplomatic channel involving Pakistan, which had recently emerged as a possible venue for indirect engagement between Washington and Tehran.∎
