Iran live updates: Trump cancels Witkoff, Kushner trip to Islamabad for peace talks

DAVID BRENNAN, EMILY SHAPIRO, LEAH SARNOFF, NADINE EL-BAWAB, MEREDITH DELISO and JON HAWORTH... See moreSat, April 25, 2026 at 4:29 PM UTC

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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan earlier this month failed to reach a peace deal. On Tuesday, Trump announced he was extending the ceasefire and continuing the blockade until Iran's proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded "one way or the other."

Latest Developments

Apr 25, 12:28 PMTrump cancels Witkoff, Kushner’s trip to Islamabad for peace talks

President Donald Trump has cancelled the trip by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad for another round of peace talks due to Iran’s posture during the negotiations, the president told reporters this morning in phone interviews."I don't see the point in sending them on an 18-hour flight in the current [state of the negotiations]. It's too long. We can just as well do it over the phone. The Iranians can call us if they want. We're not going to travel just to sit there,” Trump reportedly said to Axios."We have all the cards. We are not going to go there to sit around talking about nothing,” Trump said.Trump shared a similar sentiment with a Fox reporter about his decision to cancel the second round of in-person peace negotiations.

Denis Balibouse/Reuters, FILES - PHOTO: President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026.

“I've told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, 'Nope, you're not making an 18-hour flight to go there. 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,’” Trump reportedly told Fox.Axios said they pressed Trump on whether this cancellation means that he’s considering resuming the war, but that the president rebuked the suggestion."No. That doesn't mean that. We haven't thought about it yet,” Trump said, according to Axios.This comes just after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation have flown out of Islamabad following their talks with Pakistani leaders. The White House had said Friday that Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Islamabad on Saturday morning.The White House did not immediately respond to ABC News when asked to confirm the cancellation.-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

Apr 25, 6:57 AMUK and Finland say attacks on journalists in Lebanon 'unacceptable'

Attacks on journalists in Lebanon are unacceptable, the United Kingdom's Foreign Office said in a joint statement with Finland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Saturday. The statement comes after the killing of journalist Amal Khalil on Wednesday in an Israel strike. In the statement, both countries condemned the violence against journalist and media workers. The IDF said they are investigating the incident and has repeated that it “does not target journalists and acts to mitigate harm to them while maintaining the safety and security of its troops.” "We call on the Israeli authorities and all other parties to make every effort to ensure that media workers in Lebanon can conduct their work freely and safely," the statement said. The U.K. and Finland are co-chairs of the Media Freedom Coalition. Israeli attacks have killed at least seven journalists in Lebanon, according to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists. -ABC News' Othon Leyva

Apr 25, 6:07 AMIran says 'significant portion' of Iran’s missile capacity remains unused

Iran’s Defense Ministry says it has developed more than 1,000 types of domestically produced weapons, including missiles, drones and other military systems. The ministry’s spokesperson, Reza Talaei-Nik speaking on State TV said the capabilities are the result of more than 25 years of investment in Iran’s defense industry, with around 9,000 companies involved in supporting production. While the United States says it has significantly degraded Iran’s missile capability, the spokesperson said a “significant portion” of Iran’s missile capacity remains unused. -ABC News' Rashid Haddou

Apr 25, 5:18 AMIran resumes flights from Tehran’s international airport for 1st time since war began

After last week's partial reopening of Iranian airspace, Iranian state television is reporting on Saturday morning that Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran has reopened, with a number of international flights already operating. Initial flights have been conducted to Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Oman, and Iranian media say more services are expected to resume in the coming days. -ABC News' Rashid Haddou

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Apr 24, 2:43 PMUS, Iran delegations to meet with Pakistani mediators: Pakistani official

U.S. and Iranian delegations will have separate meetings with Pakistani officials this weekend, a senior Pakistani government official told ABC News. If those meetings go well, the U.S. and Iranian delegations would then meet directly on Sunday, the official said. The official said the Iranian delegation has arrived in Pakistan and the U.S. delegation is expected to arrive Saturday evening local time. -ABC News’ Habi Khan

Apr 24, 2:06 PMLeavitt says Vance 'on standby,' 'willing to dispatch to Pakistan' if necessary

During a gaggle with reporters Friday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that while President ‌Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan this weekend, it's still possible for Vice President JD Vance to be dispatched, too. “The vice president, I understand, is on standby and will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it's a necessary use of his time,” Leavitt said. “We hope progress will be made, and we hope that positive developments will come from this meeting, and we will see,” she added. “The Iranians want to talk. They want to talk in person,” Leavitt said, and Trump is “always willing to give diplomacy a chance.” -ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr, Emily Chang and Michelle Stoddart

Apr 24, 1:26 PMWitkoff, Kushner to travel to Islamabad Saturday for peace talksPresident ‌Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday for another round of peace talks with Iranian officials, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.

Akhtar Soomro/Reuters - PHOTO: Hoardings are mounted on lamp posts, as Pakistan prepares to host the United States and Iran for a possible second phase of peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 20, 2026.

They will "engage in talks, direct talks inter-mediated by the Pakistanis, who have been incredible friends and mediators throughout this entire process, with representatives from the Iranian delegation," she said Friday. "The Iranians reached out as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation. So the president is dispatching Steve and Jared to go hear what they have to say." Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance will not be going but said he "remains deeply involved in this entire process, and he'll be standing by here in the United States, along with the president and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the entire national security team for updates." When asked whether the administration had any indication that the Iranians were closer to coming to a deal, Leavitt only said "we'll see," adding that it was part of the reason for the trip by Witkoff and Kushner. Despite the president’s rhetoric threatening to bomb Iran and his past claims that he does not need a deal, Leavitt said the U.S. has “transitioned” into a “diplomatic phase” in order to secure a deal. -ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr, Emily Chang and Michelle Stoddart

Apr 24, 11:43 AMIranian foreign minister heading to Pakistan, Oman, Russia

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media that he's visiting Islamabad, Pakistan, Muscat, Oman, and Moscow, Russia "to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments."

Apr 24, 8:41 AMNavy fired 9 disabling shots at seized ship, Caine saysGen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that U.S. forces are ready to continue striking Iran if President Donald Trump issues the order. Caine described how the U.S. seized the Iranian-flagged ship Touska, which he said tried to evade the blockade. Caine said the U.S. fired five warning shots and ultimately nine disabling shots at the ship.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters - PHOTO: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks during a briefing on the Iran war, amid a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, April 24, 2026.

“American forces began to issue several clear and unambiguous warnings and informed the vessel and its crew that they were in violation of the U.S. blockade and directed the ship to turn around,” Caine said. “Over a six-hour period, the vessel and her crew repeatedly ignored U.S. warnings, and then the U.S. Navy destroyer executed a series of pre-planned, carefully calibrated escalation options, including firing five warning shots. The vessel and her crew continued to ignore warnings, and after exhausting all other measures, CENTCOM authorized disabling fire against the Touska.” “U.S. sailors warned the crew to abandon the engine room, and at approximately 9 a.m. Eastern Time, the destroyer disabled the Touska’s engine by firing nine inert rounds … precisely into the engine room,” Caine said. The vessel “went dead in the water and began to comply with U.S. directions and orders,” he said, and “CENTCOM ordered United States marines to seize the ship via helicopters.” -ABC News’ Steven Beynon, Christopher Boccia and Luis Martinez

Apr 24, 8:28 AMHegseth says 2nd aircraft carrier will join blockade in 'a few days'Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that a second aircraft carrier will be joining the blockade in "a few days" and that just this week, the United States seized "two Iranian dark fleet ships in the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before the blockade went into effect."

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images - PHOTO: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine listens during a press briefing at the Pentagon, April 24, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.

"They thought they'd made it out just in time. They did not," Hegseth said during a press conference on Friday morning. "We seized their sanctioned ships, and we will seize more." "President Trump's fortitude is unshakable and his mission is crystal clear," Hegseth continued. "President Trump said it again yesterday. We have all the time in the world, and we're not anxious for a deal."

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