Overview
- President Trump, who cancelled his envoys’ trip Saturday, said the 18-hour flight was not worth it and that the United States “has all the cards.”
- Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met Pakistan’s leadership in Islamabad but ruled out direct talks, saying Tehran would relay observations through Pakistani intermediaries.
- Araghchi left Pakistan for Muscat after laying out Iran’s demands, leaving the planned second round of negotiations without participants in Islamabad.
- One day earlier, the administration imposed new sanctions on a China-based refinery and about 40 shipping firms tied to Iranian oil, a bid to choke off Tehran’s key revenue stream.
- The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively constrained by opposing blockades, which has unsettled energy markets and raised the stakes for a durable truce.