Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Pakistan on Sunday, a day after leaving the country, as US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned trip to Islamabad by US negotiators.

He departed Pakistan on Sunday night and headed to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Iran’s ISNA news agency reported that Tehran had transmitted “written messages” to the US via Pakistani mediators, which addressed “some of the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz”. The messages were not part of any negotiations, the agency said.

Iranian media said that Araghchi’s second visit to Pakistan looked to share “Iran’s positions and views on the framework of any understanding to completely end the war”.

During his first visit to Islamabad on Friday and Saturday, he met with Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir, a key mediator, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Other Iranian envoys then travelled back to Tehran “to consult and obtain the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war”, according to ISNA.

Araghchi described his Pakistan trip on Saturday as “very fruitful” but signalled scepticism over Washington’s intentions, insisting he had “yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy.”

Trump cancels negotiating team’s trip to Pakistan

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were meant to head to Pakistan on Saturday for an “in-person conversation” with Iran, according to the White House.

But Trump later said that he had cancelled the trip, insisting that there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing”. Iranian state media, however, had earlier said that direct talks were never on the table to begin with.

“They gave us a paper that should have been better and – interestingly – immediately when I cancelled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” Trump told reporters.

Later that evening, a gunman was arrested at the White House correspondents’ dinner, and Trump said he did not think it was related to Iran.

Trump then said on Sunday that “we’re not doing this anymore. We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us, you know, there is a telephone, we have nice secure lines.”

Hormuz blockade still in place

Meanwhile, the vital Hormuz oil and gas route continues to be blocked, with no sign of it opening any time soon.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards posted a message on their Telegram channel saying that “controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House’s supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran.”

The US has blockaded Iran’s ports in retaliation, with Iranian state media then warning that “blockading, banditry and piracy” would result in a response. (Euronews)

The post Iranian foreign minister heads to Russia for meeting with Putin after second Pakistan trip appeared first on Newswire.

The Foreign Ministers of Iran and Sri Lanka held a telephone conversation on Wednesday (22), amid heightened tensions following the attack on the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka. 

During the telephone call, Iranian Foreign Minister Dr. Seyed Abbas Araghchi expressed gratitude to his Sri Lankan counterpart, Vijitha Herath, for Colombo’s assistance in rescuing sailors and facilitating the transfer of the remains of Iranian naval personnel killed in the incident.

According to a statement from the Embassy of Iran in Sri Lanka, Dr. Araghchi condemned the attack on the IRIS Dena, describing it as an “unprecedented war crime” by the United States. 

He further stressed that the Iranian nation would never forget the assault, which he said constituted a grave violation of international humanitarian law and the 1949 Geneva Conventions. 

He vowed that Iran would pursue all legal and political avenues to hold the perpetrators accountable.

The two ministers also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between Iran and Sri Lanka, underscoring the importance of cooperation in the face of regional and international challenges. (Newswire)

The post Iran FM condemns IRIS Dena attack in call with Sri Lanka FM: Iran Embassy appeared first on Newswire.