Trump cancels Islamabad trip as US-Iran talks stall amid ongoing tensions

[0:00] So then, U.S. President Donald Trump has cancelled the trip by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan. [0:07] The White House had confirmed their planned visit on Friday as part of efforts to end the war in Iran. [0:13] Trump says any deal with Iran must guarantee that they cannot have a nuclear weapon. [0:19] They gave us a paper that should have been better. [0:24] And interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it, within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better. [0:30] What was on that paper, sir? [0:31] We talked about, we talked about, they will not have a nuclear weapon. [0:36] Very simple. [0:37] Look, that whole deal is not complicated. [0:40] Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. [0:43] Very simple. [0:43] Did they offer like 20 years on... [0:45] Will you continue to cease fire? [0:47] I haven't even thought about it. [0:48] Did they offer anything in return to 20 years of suspending enriched uranium? [0:52] They offered a lot. [0:53] What did they offer? [0:54] They offered a lot, but not enough. [0:55] Thank you. [0:55] Well, an Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Basarachi [1:00] is now in Oman discussing regional developments there. [1:05] Earlier on Saturday, his team was in Pakistan, [1:06] where they left a workable framework to be communicated by Pakistani officials on ending the war. [1:14] Iranian media says Arachi is expected to return to Islamabad before heading to Russia. [1:19] All right, we've got correspondents covering the story from Tehran and from Washington, D.C. [1:24] And we'll begin with Manuel Rappelo in Washington, D.C., the U.S. capital. [1:29] So, Manuel, tell us what more the U.S. president had to say. [1:34] Good to be with you, Nick. [1:36] President Trump was asked about this alleged meeting on Tuesday. [1:40] He was asked about a document that was reportedly left by the Iranians for the Americans in Pakistan. [1:47] President Trump did not give too many details about the specifics of this document or of this format. [1:55] He also didn't really confirm whether or not there was an exchange of a formal document. [2:00] Instead, like you heard just now in your introduction there from President Trump himself, [2:04] he says we're not going to spend 15 hours in airplanes all the time going back and forth [2:09] to be given a document that was not good enough. [2:12] That's what President Trump had said regarding that document left by the Iranians in Islamabad. [2:19] It's hard to know sometimes if President Trump is being facetious or not, [2:23] but he also said that part of the reason why this trip was canceled was because he is a, quote-unquote, [2:29] cost-conscious person, cost-conscious person, and that this trip would have been very expensive. [2:35] What we're not hearing, and this is an important thing to underline here, [2:38] is that there is still diplomacy taking place behind the scenes. [2:42] That's what President Trump is signaling. [2:44] He's signaling that the United States is not working off Iran's paper, [2:47] but there is still movement taking place behind the scenes. [2:51] It's signaling that whatever is happening in the near future is not concrete enough [2:57] to justify the president sending two of his top aides, [3:02] in this case Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, [3:06] to Islamabad if he doesn't expect that this is going to yield something meaningful in terms of U.S. interests. [3:14] Also, the signaling here is that the diplomatic window is still open. [3:18] So what President Trump is saying, in his own words, is that if the Iranians want to talk, [3:23] all they have to do is call. [3:24] All right, let's get the view from Tehran now with Al-Migdad Al-Ruhaid. [3:30] So tell us, first of all, the foreign minister, he said he shared a workable framework to permanently end the war. [3:36] And Donald Trump said that, in fact, another document had also been provided by the Iranians, [3:40] which was much better, as he put it. [3:42] Do we know anything about both these documents? [3:44] Let me start by this workable framework that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakhi spoke about. [3:55] Actually, we don't have the details that are publicly or officially published, [4:01] but we do have the bigger picture, the broader picture from Iran here, [4:05] at least from the past previous proposals and stands, [4:10] especially when it comes to the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. [4:14] We know that the United States naval blocking the Strait of Hormuz, [4:19] blocking the Iranian ports, and also imposing between the IRGC Navy [4:25] and between the U.S. Navy that there is an escalation back and forth, [4:29] especially when it comes to the vessels belonging to the Iranians [4:32] and vessels also belonging to Israel and the United States Navy. [4:38] So the bigger picture that the blockade is one of the main sticking points over the past few days. [4:45] And if we step back and see also the 10-point plan that proposed by Iranians, [4:53] we see that Iranians are sticking at their rights, [4:58] especially when it comes to the uranium program and handing the stockpile of the enriched uranium [5:07] and also the sanctions. [5:09] The sanctions are one of the main pressuring that imposed by the United States over the past decades. [5:15] We know that these sanctions, Iranians demand to be lifted [5:19] and also demand to be eased for ease the economic crisis and economic pressure here inside Tehran. [5:27] At the same time, we know that Abbas Araqi is supposed to visit Islamabad again [5:33] after his visit to Oman earlier this day. [5:37] And also after that, we'll head to Moscow. [5:40] And some of his team right now is in Tehran for consultation over the disworkable framework. [5:47] The bigger picture is that there is a huge gap between two proposals, [5:52] between the framework that handed by Abbas Araqi to the mediator and also from United States. [5:58] But the speculation that this ongoing wheel of diplomacy between both sides will ease this deadlock [6:08] or sometimes some analysts saying that whether there will be another breakthrough [6:15] or another round of deadlock between the two sides. [6:18] Okay. Well, Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, [6:22] has affirmed his country's commitment to advance durable peace and lasting stability [6:27] as talks between the U.S. and Iran's storm. [6:29] Let's hear now from Al Jazeera's Osama bin Javed, [6:31] who has a view from Islamabad on Pakistan's mediation efforts. [6:35] The barriers are being removed from here in the red zone in Islamabad, [6:42] which about two weeks has remained a complete no-go area for people. [6:48] This is because of the latest that we've heard from the U.S. president, [6:53] who's announced that he's calling back his envoys. [6:56] There was hope that they are going to continue this dialogue here in Islamabad [7:01] with Pakistani officials, and they are going to hold talks, [7:06] although the Iranians never confirmed that there will be any talks here in Islamabad, [7:11] face-to-face with the American. [7:13] It was a day with a flurry of activity where there have been phone calls in the last 24 hours [7:19] between the Pakistanis and the Iranians, the Pakistanis and the Egyptians, [7:22] the Pakistanis and the Russians. [7:24] The Iranian foreign minister concluding a long discussion with Pakistan [7:28] and headed to Muscat in Oman, and onwards he's expected to go to Moscow. [7:34] We've been told by various diplomats that diplomacy is not dead, [7:39] despite the setback that has come here. [7:42] Although Islamabad has again come back to life, [7:45] but it appears that the Pakistanis have not given up hope in the whole peace process. [7:50] It is going to take time. [7:52] We've been told that diplomacy is not an event, but a process, [7:57] and that process continues behind closed doors. [7:59] It will be now a wait-and-see process on how the Iranians react [8:04] to the latest statement by the U.S. president [8:07] to pick up the phone and call him if they need to talk, [8:11] and also by the Pakistani government, [8:13] which is still hopeful that there is going to be a second round of talks, [8:17] when, how, and under what circumstances is the question. [8:21] Osama bin Javeh, Dal Dazeera, Islamabad. [8:24] Back to Washington, D.C. [8:26] Manuel Rapallo is there. [8:27] And, Manuel, something else we heard from the U.S. president [8:30] that seems to be the suggestion of a potential meeting on Tuesday. [8:33] Any further elaboration? [8:36] President Trump was asked about this as well. [8:38] He spoke about it, but again, it's hard to tell sometimes [8:41] if President Trump is being strategically withholding too much information [8:47] and without trying to overanalyze what President Trump was sort of signaling here. [8:52] He did not offer too much in terms of detail over this meeting [8:56] that is supposed to take place on Tuesday. [8:58] What we are likely to see in terms of the negotiations themselves [9:03] is the third-party intermediaries here, the mediators, [9:07] like Pakistan, carrying a lot of the burden of passing along communications [9:11] and documents and suggestions between the two sides of this argument. [9:16] There is, militarily, we can also expect the United States to continue [9:20] the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz [9:23] and beyond the Strait of Hormuz [9:25] that's targeting all Iranian maritime activity, [9:30] which means that the United States is going to continue [9:32] to pressure Iran both militarily and economically. [9:35] So, again, right now there's no timeline exactly [9:38] as to when the talks themselves are going to resume. [9:41] What we can expect is that negotiators will continue to be working [9:45] through back-channel options [9:48] and not the traditional framework of diplomacy [9:51] that we are used to seeing at times like these in times of conflict. [9:55] And right now we can expect U.S. diplomats, more than anything else, [9:59] to focus on taking advantage of that ongoing ceasefire [10:03] between the United States and Iran [10:05] to prevent anything that could sort of interrupt that fragile ceasefire [10:11] and put the United States and Iran back on the path toward an open conflict. [10:17] Right now it's taking advantage of that ongoing ceasefire [10:19] and there is a lot of urgency because the longer it takes [10:22] for these talks to end this stall, for these talks to continue, [10:27] the higher the risk of a scenario like that playing out. [10:30] All right, Manny, thanks for that. [10:31] Manuel Rappello there in Washington, D.C. [10:33] Let's head back to Tehran now, to Al-Migdad. [10:37] So, Al-Migdad, the Iran under serious pressure, [10:41] the Iranians under serious pressure more than ever economically. [10:44] You wonder how much the country, the people can take given the U.S. blockade? [10:50] That's definitely this blockade over the Strait of Hormuz is one of the main issues affecting the oil exports [11:00] and also affecting the trades and access to the global market over the past few weeks. [11:07] And also we know that Iran is under pressure, economic pressure, even before this war started. [11:14] You know, there is a huge economic crisis before this war started. [11:19] Right now we are seeing this pressure inside markets, higher prices in currency, [11:24] difficulties in access to the global market. [11:28] And also there is an uncertainty, especially when it comes to business owner, [11:34] to the finance, also to the entrepreneur, [11:37] and also to a whole economic sector here inside Iran. [11:42] So, this blockade made in another, making another pressure on domestic economic and also for the ordinary people, [11:53] this phase of no peace, no war and uncertainty, [11:57] making them very hard to plan to next day, [12:01] even can't plan for a week or for finance or for anything that in the near future. [12:08] So, blockade is pressuring more, [12:10] but we know that Iranian officials saying that we know how to deal with this. [12:17] We know how to deal with sanctions for decades before. [12:19] So, calling this is a resistance economy. [12:24] So, the picture is clear. [12:26] There is economic pressure, but at the same time, [12:28] officials saying that they know how to deal with this economic pressure [12:33] imposed by the United States over the Strait of Hormuz [12:36] and blocking the Iran export and import ports over the sea. [12:41] All right, that's the current picture in Tehran, the capital of Iran, [12:44] Al-Migdad Al-Ruhid. [12:45] Thank you for that. [12:46] So, let's take this on now with Mark Kimmett, [12:48] retired U.S. general and former assistant secretary of state [12:51] for political and military affairs. [12:52] General Kimmett, welcome once again. [12:54] How do you view, given everything that we've been hearing in the last few hours, [12:58] how do you view the potential for negotiations now? [13:02] Well, I think everybody needs to take a breather after this weekend. [13:06] It's clear that both sides want to negotiate, both sides want to talk, [13:10] both sides want to get the Strait of Hormuz open. [13:13] So, now we just need to get probably the best asset we have, [13:19] which is the Pakistani intermediaries, to bring them back together, [13:23] hopefully sooner rather than later. [13:25] It seems that the Iranians, they're not yet prepared to meet the U.S. delegation, [13:30] but the effort is being made by the foreign minister. [13:33] He's been to Islamabad, hasn't he? [13:35] He's now in Amman. [13:36] He's heading back to Islamabad before heading to Moscow. [13:39] So, there is this back and forth. [13:41] Yeah, the question, of course, is who is giving the foreign minister the instructions? [13:47] Right. [13:48] Somebody has given him a list of things to do and his left and right limits, [13:53] and we'll just have to wait and see. [13:56] I think the best way to track this is Araki's actual physical presence. [14:02] So, let's just watch and see what happens. [14:03] What about the issue of trust between the two sides, on both sides? [14:07] Certainly from the Iranians' point of view, they struggle with this, don't they, [14:11] given that they've been bitten twice in negotiations and have been attacked during negotiations. [14:17] So, there's this level of distrust that needs to be overcome, doesn't it? [14:21] I think trust is overrated in negotiations. [14:25] Well, good faith then, put it that way. [14:26] I think, in many ways, good faith is overrated in negotiations. [14:31] The fact remains that this is all about interests. [14:35] Each country has interests. [14:37] Each country has goals. [14:39] And the purpose of negotiation is not to appeal to emotions like trust. [14:44] It's to appeal to interests, which are solid and determinate issues [14:49] that can bring the two sides together and come to some sort of resolution. [14:52] I mean, if you take a look at situations such as Ukraine and Russia, [15:00] certainly there's no trust there, [15:01] but they're certainly trying to do their best to find a middle ground. [15:04] They haven't been successful. [15:05] Hopefully, we'll see Iran and the U.S. be more successful. [15:09] Donald Trump, the U.S. president, says that the United States holds all the cards. [15:14] Is that true, do you think? [15:16] I think we hold most of the cards. [15:17] It's certainly not the case that we hold all the cards. [15:20] All right. So, in what sense do the Iranians... [15:23] What power do they have in their grasp? [15:26] Oh, I think we've seen their power. [15:27] Their power is their ballistic missile program [15:29] that they have reigned on this region. [15:32] Their power is their proxy program, [15:35] which has carried out assassinations throughout the region. [15:38] And in our case particular, [15:40] hundreds of Americans died from the IEDs [15:44] that their Iranian revolution... [15:46] But, I mean, as far as this particular war is concerned. [15:48] Well, they certainly do at this point. [15:51] They don't own the Strait of Hormuz. [15:53] They're half-owners of the Strait of Hormuz with the United States. [15:57] The United States could pull their ships off tomorrow, [16:01] and the Iranians would still be demanding tribute [16:03] for ships to go through the Strait of Hormuz. [16:06] So, that is an asset they have. [16:08] We heard from the U.S. Secretary of War, of Defense, [16:13] talking about... [16:14] Pete Hegseth, talking about how much time [16:16] the United States has in this. [16:19] Yeah. [16:20] Is that true, do you think? [16:21] Is there unlimited time for the U.S.? [16:23] There is not unlimited time for either side, [16:27] but it is clear that one of the revolutionary ideals [16:32] in a war of resistance [16:33] is the notion of resistance [16:36] and the notion of patience. [16:38] And I think what Hegseth is trying to say is, [16:42] as we've seen so often in places such as Afghanistan [16:46] and elsewhere, where the old expression is, [16:50] you may have the watches, but we have the time, [16:53] I think He's trying to nullify that belief [16:55] on the part of the Iranians that they can wait us out. [16:58] All right. [16:58] Jeremy Cameron, we'll leave it there for now. [16:59] Thanks very much for that. [17:00] Thank you. [17:00] Thank you.