Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is pictured after delivering a speech at a U.N. conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Feb. 17, 2026.Valentin Flauraud/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s foreign minister back in Pakistan, but uncertainty clouds peace talks – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Islamabad on Sunday night, rejoining mediation efforts just hours after he left Pakistan and U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly scrapped a planned trip by American envoys to revive peace talks with Tehran.

Iranian state media confirmed Araghchi’s return on Sunday, reporting he had arrived back in the Pakistani capital “to continue consultations on ending the war with the United States” after a brief stop in Oman. The minister had left Islamabad late Saturday, triggering confusion over whether talks would proceed, before reversing course and returning ahead of a planned trip to Moscow.

His return came after Trump cited “infighting and confusion” among Iran’s leadership in scuppering a planned visit Saturday on by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan for negotiations.