The most promising round of Iran nuclear diplomacy since the 2026 war began collapsed on Friday April 25, 2026, after President Donald Trump abruptly pulled his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner from a planned trip to Islamabad to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Trump told reporters that Iran’s latest written counter-offer was “much better than the previous one but still not adequate”, while the White House officially cited ‘travel time’ for the cancellation.
Tehran Rejects ‘Forced’ Talks
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would not enter into “forced negotiations” with Washington while the US naval blockade remains in place. Araghchi went ahead with talks in Islamabad with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has positioned himself as a mediator.
Blockade Tightens
- By Saturday, the US Navy had redirected 37 ships under what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls an “iron-clad” blockade from the Gulf of Oman.
- The US Treasury sanctioned 19 additional vessels on Friday in an action branded “Economic Fury”.
- Pezeshkian publicly urged Iranians to conserve electricity as imports thin.
Risk of a Weaker Deal
Bloomberg reported that even officials inside Trump’s own team fear his rush to declare victory could deliver a weaker nuclear deal than the 2015 JCPOA he previously withdrew from — and that the gap between Trump’s social-media boasts and the actual draft text is widening as week seven of the war ends.
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