{"id":417246,"date":"2026-04-25T17:48:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T17:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/417246\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T17:48:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T17:48:18","slug":"trump-cancels-witkoff-and-kushner-trip-to-pakistan-for-iran-talks-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/417246\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump cancels Witkoff and Kushner trip to Pakistan for Iran talks \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Main pointsDonald Trump tells Fox News that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will no longer be travelling<\/a> to Pakistan for talks with IranIranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi leaves Islamabad without signs of a breakthrough in talks with Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officialsFour people \u200chave been killed in Israeli strikes \u200bon \u2060southern Lebanon<\/a>, according to Lebanon\u2019s \u200cstate \u200bnews agencyKey readsTrump cancels Witkoff and Kushner planned visit to Pakistan for talks<\/p>\n

US President Donald Trump has said he has cancelled a planned trip by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks to Iran. <\/p>\n

Earlier on Saturday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an interview on Fox News Channel that the two envoys would take part in talks with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.<\/p>\n

Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday evening without talks having taken place, according to reports. <\/p>\n

President Trump told Fox News that he cancelled his envoys\u2019 trip to Pakistan at the last minute. <\/p>\n

The decision adds uncertainty to efforts to end the conflict between the United States and Israel one side and Iran on the other. <\/p>\n

\u201cI told my people, when they were preparing for the flight \u2013 you\u2019re not going to fly 18 hours, we hold all the cards. They can call us whenever they want, but you\u2019re not flying 18 hours to sit and talk about nothing,\u201d Trump told the Fox News.<\/p>\n

While in Islamabad Iranian foreign minister Abbas met Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, army chief field marshal Asim Munir and other senior officials, two Pakistani officials said.<\/p>\n

The Iranian minister wrote on Telegram that they spoke about regional developments, including Iran\u2019s red lines for negotiations.<\/p>\n

He did not offer details but said Tehran would continue engaging with Pakistan\u2019s mediation efforts \u201cuntil a result is achieved\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"ParamilitaryParamilitary soldiers and police officers stand guard at a checkpoint on a barricaded road for the US and Iran talks (Anjum Naveed\/AP\/PA) <\/p>\n

The pause in hostilities brought about by the extension of the ceasefire is credited with preventing further death and destruction but the economic damage continues, with global shipments of oil, liquefied natural gas, fertiliser and other supplies disrupted by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

Also on Saturday, Iran resumed commercial flights from Tehran\u2019s international airport for the first time since the war began with US and Israeli strikes two months ago.<\/p>\n

\"(PA(PA Graphics) <\/p>\n

Iranian officials have openly asked how they can trust the US after talks last year and early this year over Tehran\u2019s nuclear programme ended with it being attacked by the US and Israel.<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

If US-Israeli war with Iran lasts a few months longer the world will enter a state of energy of scarcity \u2013 warning<\/p>\n

French president Emmanuel Macron has reiterated that he \u200cis focused on efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

Macron was speaking at a news conference \u200bin Athens alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday \u2013 one day after the head of \u200clarge oil and gas company TotalEnergies, warned of possible global energy shortages. <\/p>\n

Macron said panic caused by geopolitical uncertainty can in itself lead to shortages.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to achieve a full reopening in the coming days and \u200bweeks, in accordance with international law, guaranteeing freedom of navigation without tolls on the Strait of \u2060Hormuz. Then things can gradually return to normal,\u201d Macron said.<\/p>\n

TotalEnergies CEO Patrick \u200cPouyanne \u200cpressed \u200bon Friday for the reopening of the strait, through which about a fifth of the globe\u2019s oil and gas supply \u2060normally flows.<\/p>\n

Movement through the strait, \u200bwhich is also a key transport route \u200bfor goods including fertilisers and pharmaceuticals, has been choked due to the U.S.-Israeli \u200cwar with Iran, as Iran has seized \u200bcontainer ships and the United States has mounted a blockade on Iranian ports.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf \u2060it lasts two, three months \u2060more, we \u200bare entering in a world of scarcity of energy, which Asian countries have already suffered,\u201d Pouyanne told the World Policy Conference in Chantilly, outside Paris. \u201cYou cannot have 20 per cent of the oil and gas of the planet being stranded and not accessible without major consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than a dozen countries have said they are willing to join an international mission led by \u200cFrance and Britain to protect \u2060shipping in the strait when conditions permit, even as US president Donald Trump has said he does not need allies\u2019 help.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all in \u200cthe same boat, and it\u2019s not a boat we chose, if I may say. We\u2019re victims \u200bof geopolitics and we\u2019re victims of this war that \u200bstarted several months ago,\u201d Macron said on Saturday. \u2013 Reuters<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

Four killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon<\/p>\n

Four people \u200cwere killed on \u200bSaturday in Israeli strikes \u200bon \u2060southern Lebanon, \u200cLebanon\u2019s \u200cstate \u200bnews agency \u2060reported.<\/p>\n

The previous day, \u200bsix \u200bpeople \u200cwere killed \u200bin Lebanon, \u2060the \u2060deadliest day \u200bduring the recently extended ceasefire.<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 6 hours ago<\/p>\n

60-day deadline means congressional approval may be needed for war in Iran <\/p>\n

Trump unlikely to ask congress for authorisation for war even though the law says he needs it<\/p>\n

A 60-day deadline under which the US president needs congressional approval for ongoing military action, military action is set to be reached on May 1st. <\/p>\n

However, it is unclear whether President Trump will seek approval for his war on Iran or put forward arguments to say it should not apply, CNN is reporting. <\/p>\n

The post-Vietnam law is known as the War Powers Resolution. It\u2019s aims are clear, but it\u2019s not at all clear what will happen next.<\/p>\n

The law lays out a timeline for undeclared wars:<\/p>\n

First, 48 hours. The president must notify Congress within 48 hours of introducing the armed forces \u201cinto hostilities\u201d and explain the scope, justification and likely duration of the effort.In his notification to Congress about Iran, Trump, like other presidents, said he committed troops under a president\u2019s inherent authority in the Constitution to \u201cconduct United States foreign relations.\u201dSecond, 60 days. Congress must authorise the use of force within 60 days of receiving that notification or, the law says, the military action must be terminated by the president.Third, a possible extra 30 days. Trump can extend the 60-day clock for another 30 days if he argues that continued military action is needed to keep service members safe while withdrawing from the war. Trump has said he won\u2019t be rushed into making a bad deal to end the war.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s some confusion in Congress over the exact date of the White House\u2019s 60-day deadline, because lawyers in both parties argue there are multiple ways to interpret the federal statute.<\/p>\n

Some believe the 60-day clock started from the date hostilities began (which would make the deadline April 29), while others cite the text of the law to argue it\u2019s 60 calendar days from the date the White House officially notified Congress (which would put the deadline at May 1st).<\/p>\n

But many Republican legislators believe that the ceasefire period does not count toward the 60-day deadline. Even some Democrats said the ceasefire could complicate the timeline.<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 6 hours ago<\/p>\n

Turkey \u2018could consider\u2019 removing mines from the Strait of Hormuz after a peace agreement<\/p>\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan \u200cFidan said the country could consider taking \u200cpart in demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz following \u200ba possible peace agreement between Iran and the United States.<\/p>\n

Fidan, speaking to reporters in London on \u200bFriday evening, said a technical team was expected \u2060to carry out mine-clearing work in the strait \u200cafter \u200cany \u200bagreement, adding that Turkey viewed such efforts positively in principle \u2060as a \u200bhumanitarian duty.<\/p>\n

Here are some details \u200bfrom Fidan\u2019s remarks:<\/p>\n

* Fidan said any \u200cdemining work would be \u200bcarried out by a technical team from \u2060various countries, formed \u2060after \u200ba possible Iran-U. S. peace agreement<\/p>\n

* Turkey would have \u201cno problem\u201d with participating in mine-clearing operations under those conditions<\/p>\n

* Fidan cautioned that Turkey would reassess its position if any future technical Coalition \u200cof countries became \u2060a party to renewed conflict<\/p>\n

* Fidan also said he believed issues related \u200cto Iran\u2019s nuclear programme could be resolved at \u200bthe next round of talks in \u200bPakistan \u2013 Reuters<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 9 hours ago<\/p>\n

Iran said it hanged Israeli agent accused of vandalism and violence<\/p>\n

Iran said it has hanged what it described as an agent working for Israel who was accused of vandalism and violence during nationwide protests in January, according to the country\u2019s semi-official Tasnim news agency. <\/p>\n

An Iranian man identified as Irfan Kayani, was accused of \u201ccreating terror\u201d and hanged on Saturday after the Supreme Court confirmed the verdict, Tasnim reported. <\/p>\n

Iran is the world\u2019s second most prolific user of the death penalty after China, according to Amnesty International. The human rights group reported in September that Iranian authorities executed more than 1,000 people last year. The figure was the highest number of yearly executions in Iran that the organisation has recorded in at least 15 years. Iran has been accused of using the death penalty as a tool of political repression and using the chaos of war as cover to accelerate executions and suppress dissent. \u2013 Guardian<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 9 hours ago<\/p>\n

\"IranianIranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, left, meets Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar upon his arrival in Pakistan on Friday Photograph: Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP \"Pakistan'sPakistan’s army soldiers stand guard on a street leading to the Red Zone area after tightened security measures ahead of the expected US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad. Photograph: Farooq Naeem \/ AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

Sally Rooney: Fragility of global fuel systems strengthens the case for rationing<\/p>\n

When goods are scarce, how are they distributed? That is: when lots of people want something, but there isn\u2019t enough for everyone, who gets what they want and who doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n

In a market system, prices decide. The people who are willing and able to pay the most get the goods. Price is, in other words, a way of rationing scarce resources. <\/p>\n

Here in Ireland, protests against spiralling costs have already forced the Government to intervene. Using a combination of tax cuts and subsidies, the state has now committed over half-a-billion euro to moderate the price of fuel. But because price continues to act as the only rationing mechanism at the point of purchase, the wealthiest consumers can still afford to hoard and waste while the poorest struggle.<\/p>\n

Read more from Sally Rooney here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

Is the attack on Iran a Suez moment for the United States, David McWilliams asks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Suez crisis in 1957 was the end of the road for Britain\u2019s 200-year role as a global rule-maker. From then on, it became a rule-taker. The recent political nostalgia for a different England pedalled by Brexiteers, that elegiac world of warm beer, sandwiches and Spitfires, was the world before Suez. The crisis was a monumental cock-up involving Britain, France and Israel, and a botched attack on Egypt to ensure European control over the critical Suez Canal. The fiasco resulted in the Egyptian nationalist leader, Gamal Nasser, having full authority over the canal.<\/p>\n

Following a dressing down by new kid on the block the US, Britain and France withdrew with their tails between their imperialist legs. After Suez, UK credibility gradually eroded, politically and financially \u2013 not overnight, but slowly and surely.<\/p>\n

Could something similar happen to the US following Donald Trump\u2019s war on Iran?<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

Iran war has drained US supplies of critical and costly weapons<\/p>\n

The Iran war has significantly drained much of the US military\u2019s global supply of munitions and forced the Pentagon to rush bombs, missiles and other hardware to the Middle East from commands in Asia and Europe, the New York Times reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since the war began in late February, the United States has burned through around 1,100 of its long-range stealth cruise missiles built for a war with China, close to the total number remaining in the US stockpile. The military has fired off more than 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles, roughly 10 times the number it currently buys each year.<\/p>\n

The Pentagon used more than 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles in the war, at more than $4 million a pop, and more than 1,000 \u201cprecision strike\u201d and ground-based missiles, leaving inventories worrisomely low, according to internal US defence department estimates and congressional officials.<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

US vice-president JD Vance is not expected to attend the talks, as Iran\u2019s parliamentary speaker Muhammad-Bagher Ghalibaf \u2013 viewed by the White House as his counterpart \u2013 will not be present. However, reports said Vance would be on \u201cstandby\u201d to travel to Islamabad in case progress was made.<\/p>\n

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Tehran had a \u201chistoric chance\u201d to reach an agreement with Washington, as the US continued to apply pressure in the Strait of Hormuz. He said \u201cthe clock is not on Iran\u2019s side\u201d.<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

US delegation leave for Pakistan peace talks<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson said on X that Iranian officials did not plan to meet US representatives, even though US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner planned to travel to Islamabad. Iran\u2019s concerns would be conveyed to Pakistan, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

Speaking before the Iranian \u200bforeign ministry\u2019s statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff and Kushner would leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning for talks to Araqchi. \u2013 Reuters<\/p>\n

Tim O’Brien – 11 hours ago<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s foreign minister arrived in Islamabad on Friday for US peace talks<\/p>\n

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi arrived in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday to discuss proposals for restarting peace talks to the \u200cUS, offering some hope for an end to the eight-week war that has killed thousands and sowed turmoil in global markets, Reuters reports. <\/p>\n

US president Donald Trump told Reuters on Friday that Iran plans to make an offer aimed at satisfying US demands, but said he did not yet know what the offer entailed.<\/p>\n

When asked \u200bwho the US was negotiating with, Trump said: \u201cI don\u2019t want to say that, but we\u2019re dealing with the people that are in charge now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Main pointsDonald Trump tells Fox News that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will no longer be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,11829,43,40,38,41,39,115],"class_list":["post-417246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-iran","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}