Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (L) greeting Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (2R) before their meeting at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad. AFP
Araghchi is due back in Islamabad after a stop in Muscat, according to IRNA, to rejoin members of his delegation who had travelled to Tehran for consultations and “instructions on the topics related to the end of the war”.
Araghchi left Pakistan on Saturday after meetings in Islamabad, describing the visit as “very fruitful” while signalling doubts about Washington’s intentions.
“Very fruitful visit to Pakistan, whose good offices and brotherly efforts to bring back peace to our region we very much value,” he wrote on X.
“Shared Iran's position concerning workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy,” he added.
He is expected to travel to Russia after Oman as part of a regional push to revive negotiations over the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on 28 February.
The diplomatic push comes as prospects for talks remain unclear after US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned trip by his envoys to Pakistan.
Trump said he scrapped the visit after being dissatisfied with Iran’s negotiating position.
“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,” he told reporters, without elaborating.
The White House had said envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were to travel to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials, but Trump told Fox News he called off the trip.
“We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you're not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing,” he said he told his team.
Asked whether the move signalled a return to fighting, Trump said: “No, it doesn't mean that. We haven't thought about it yet.”
Even before the cancellation, Iranian media had cast doubt on the talks, reporting that Araghchi had no plans to meet US officials and that Pakistan would act as an intermediary for proposals.
Tehran has said any return to negotiations depends on lifting the US naval blockade, which it says violates the truce.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that position in a phone call with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday.
The United States “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade,” before talks can resume, Pezeshkian said, according to the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies.
Sharif described the call as a “constructive discussion” and said Pakistan remained committed to facilitating “durable peace”.
Separately, Araghchi held calls with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss ceasefire efforts and regional developments, according to Iranian media.
In a post on his X account on Saturday night, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the visit to Muscat reflects Tehran’s continued commitment to fostering mutual trust and constructive cooperation with its southern neighbors.
“The Oman–Iran relationship stands as a testament to Iran’s genuine pursuance of respectful and mutually beneficial relations with its neighbors in the South,” Baqaei added.
Pressure to reach a settlement has increased with the Strait of Hormuz still closed, disrupting global energy markets.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Council (IRGC) said it had no plans to lift the blockade.
“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 IRGC said on its official Telegram channel.
The United States has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran’s military warned that continued US “blockading, banditry and piracy” would prompt a response.
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