Trump cancels Witkoff, Kushner's Pakistan trip for Iran negotiations: 'We have all the cards'

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said he held a “warm and constructive” phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as tensions in the region continue to evolve.

In a post on X, Sharif said he appreciated Iran’s “continued engagement,” including a high-level delegation to Islamabad led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whom he met earlier in the day.

"I reaffirmed that, with the support of friends and partners, Pakistan remains committed to serve as an honest and sincere facilitator — working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability in the region."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to carry out “powerful strikes” against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The order follows ongoing exchanges of Hezbollah attacks and Israeli strikes across northern Israel and southern Lebanon on Saturday.

The escalation comes despite a Thursday announcement by President Donald Trump extending a fragile ceasefire between the two sides for several more weeks.

U.S. Central Command released a photo Saturday showing a Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II jet taking off from the USS Tripoli in the Arabian Sea.

The amphibious assault ship is one of many U.S. naval assets operating in the region in support of Operation Epic Fury.

The U.S. Navy is currently enforcing a blockade Saturday of Iranian ports.

CENTCOM said Friday that so far, 34 ships have been redirected as a result of the blockade.

The Israel Defense Forces said two projectiles were launched from Lebanon towards Israel on Saturday.

One of the projectiles was successfully intercepted, while the other fell in an open area, according to the IDF.

Israeli forces also are continuing to strike Hezbollah terror infrastructure across southern Lebanon.

“A short while ago, the IDF struck Hezbollah structures, including facilities used by the Radwan Force unit for military purposes, as well as a weapons storage site located south of the Forward Defense Line,” the IDF said.

“The sites were struck in order to remove a threat to IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians, following Hezbollah’s use of these structures to carry out attacks against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel,” it added.

Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Saturday after canceling a U.S. delegation’s trip to Pakistan that the Iranian regime is suffering from “tremendous infighting and confusion.” 

“I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going [to] Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians. Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

“Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership.’ Nobody knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” Trump added. 

In an interview with Fox News on Saturday, the president said “I happen to be a believer that making 18-hour flights is not in the best interest of our country, and I told my people that yesterday.”

"I'd much prefer they use the telephone," the president said.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were supposed to travel to Pakistan this weekend for the second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations during Operation Epic Fury.

President Donald Trump told Fox News’ White House correspondent Aishah Hasnie on Saturday that U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will no longer be heading to Pakistan for talks with Iran.

Trump said it’s not worth the U.S. delegation making the 18-hour flight to Pakistan when the U.S. holds all the cards in the conflict with Iran.

He added that the Iranians can call the U.S. at any time they want.

"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 said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reportedly already left Islamabad, Pakistan, following talks there Saturday with the country's prime minister.

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that troops have eliminated more than 15 Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon. 

“A short while ago, IDF soldiers of the 36th Division struck and eliminated three Hezbollah terrorists who were driving in a vehicle loaded with weapons. An additional terrorist riding a motorcycle in southern Lebanon, south of the Forward Defense Line, was also eliminated,” the IDF said. 

“Earlier today, IDF soldiers from the Golani Brigade and the Multidimensional Unit identified two armed Hezbollah terrorists in the Litani area, south of the Forward Defense Line," according to the IDF.

"The terrorists were eliminated in an Israeli Air Force strike guided by the soldiers,” the IDF added.  

Israel’s military said the terrorists that were eliminated “posed a threat to the IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon.” 

U.S. Central Command released an image showing ships with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group sailing in the Indian Ocean following the seizures of two Iranian dark fleet tankers this week.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine said U.S. Indo-Pacific Command forces on Monday, in support of a Justice Department request, “interdicted the motor tanker Tifani, which was transporting sanctioned Iranian oil.”

On Wednesday, U.S. forces in the region also intercepted the “stateless motor tanker Majestic X,” Caine added. 

“Both ships, the Tifani, the Majestic X, and their crews remain in U.S. custody, and we will continue to conduct similar maritime interdiction actions and activities in the Pacific and Indian Oceans against Iranian ships and vessels of the dark fleet,” he said. 

U.S. Central Command also said Friday that "for the first time in decades, three aircraft carriers are operating in the Middle East at the same time."  

The USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R. Ford and USS George H.W. Bush carry over 200 aircraft and 15,000 Sailors and Marines, according to CENTCOM. 

Vice President JD Vance is not heading to Islamabad, Pakistan for the latest round of U.S.-Iran negotiations, but he remains on "standby" to head over there if necessary, the White House said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that "We've certainly seen some progress from the Iranian side in the last couple of days" regarding a potential deal to end the conflict, leading President Donald Trump to send Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner "to hear the Iranians out."

Vance, along with Witkoff and Kushner, attended the first round of U.S.-Iran negotiations in Pakistan on April 11. Those talks did not result in a deal.

Vance was prepared to head to Islamabad earlier this week for negotiations, but the vice president's trip was called off Tuesday after the Iranians refused to agree to America's terms, according to reports from The New York Times and Axios.

"The president always wants to give diplomacy a chance. It's always his first option, and he is willing to do that here again," Leavitt said Friday. "The vice president 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. And, of course, everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary. But first, Steve and Jared will be going over there to report back to the president, the vice president and the rest of the team."

The White House suggested the second round of talks has not yet risen to the level that would warrant Vance's involvement. Reports indicate Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who was part of the delegation that negotiated with Vance in Islamabad earlier this month, also won't be participating is this next round of talks in Pakistan.

The Israel Defense Forces said the Israeli Air Force "successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target" Saturday in an area where troops were operating in southern Lebanon.

"The target did not cross into Israeli territory," the IDF said.

The development comes after the IDF said it carried out overnight strikes in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers that posed an “immediate threat.”

The military said it struck ready-to-launch rocket launchers in Deir El Zahrani, Reman and Al-Saamiya, north of the Forward Defense Line.

The launchers posed an “immediate threat” to IDF troops and Israeli civilians, the military added.

Israel and Lebanon are supposed to be in a ceasefire.

Fox News' Michael Sinkewicz and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is meeting Saturday with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad.

A video released by Sharif's office showed the two embracing, adding that, "In the meeting, the situation in the region will be discussed."

Sharif played a key role in brokering the U.S.-Iran ceasefire which began earlier this month. 

Araghchi said Friday that he is "Embarking on timely tour of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow," and that the "Purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is now urging the country's residents to conserve electricity use following U.S. and Israeli strikes during Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion, a report said.

Pezeshkian, speaking on state television Saturday, said the government aims to “control consumption” of electricity, according to The Associated Press.

“Instead of turning on 10 lights at home, turn on two lights. What is wrong with that?” he reportedly said.

He added the U.S. and Israel “destroyed our infrastructure,” and noted that the U.S. imposed a blockade on Iran’s ports.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Soldiers and police were seen stationed at key intersections in Pakistan's capital early Saturday as security has been ramped up ahead of the latest U.S.-Iran negotiations.

The measures were reinforced over the past 24 hours on Islamabad's outskirts with additional forces stationed along key airport access routes, according to The Associated Press.

Soldiers were visible on rooftops overlooking major approach roads, particularly near the airport where an  Iranian delegation arrived late Friday.

U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to travel to Islamabad, while Vice President JD Vance is not expected to join.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth reportedly predicted that U.S. Navy escorts through the Strait of Hormuz would be “very likely” once more commercial vessels pass through the strategic waterway.

When asked what he would like to see to feel confident to send a ship through the Strait, Wirth reportedly told CBS News, "We'd have to believe that our people on the ship will be safe, the cargo will be safe, and they can be transited with a high degree of confidence.”

"I think in the early days, it's very likely that you could see naval escorts, because I think some of the risks are not just mines that could be placed in the strait, but they could be also risks that could come from the land in other forms," Wirth told CBS News.

"So I think having the Navy with those ships that make the first transit would provide a higher degree of confidence than if there were to be something [that] happened, that you'd have some measure of defense,” he added.

At the Pentagon on Friday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned that the U.S. military “will shoot to destroy” any Iranian boats that are laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

“President Trump has authorized the United States Navy to destroy any Iranian fast boats that attempt to put mines in the water or disrupt passage through the Strait of Hormuz, to shoot and kill,” Hegseth said. “Our commanders have clear rules of engagement. If Iran is putting mines in the water or otherwise threatening American commercial shipping or American forces, we will shoot to destroy. No hesitation. Just like the drug boats in the Caribbean.”

Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon that transit is occurring in the Strait of Hormuz but it’s “much more limited than anybody would like to see and with more risk than people would like to see.”

“But that's because Iran is doing irresponsible things with small, fast boats, crafts, like I said, with weapons on them,” he said. "These are commercial ships. In some cases cruise ships, cruise ships that came through, being threatened by these."

The U.S. is racing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as Iran threatens one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes, testing a Navy that has recently retired most of its dedicated minesweepers and is now relying on a smaller fleet of unmanned systems to do the job.

President Donald Trump has warned Tehran against further escalation and signaled the U.S. is prepared to act to keep the strait open, while Iranian forces have laid mines and threatened commercial traffic in the narrow waterway that carries a significant share of global oil.

The confrontation is now testing a weakness in the Navy’s mine-warfare posture. As the U.S. moves to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian mining threats, it is doing so after retiring most of the ships once dedicated to that mission and while still relying on a limited mix of legacy vessels and newer unmanned systems to clear one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.

At the current moment, any mine-clearing effort is unfolding amid an active standoff in the strait. The U.S. has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, while Iran has responded with attacks on commercial vessels, seizures of ships and threats to close the waterway entirely.

At least several commercial ships have come under fire in recent days, and both sides have intercepted vessels as they attempt to move through the chokepoint, underscoring the risks facing any operation to restore traffic.

The operation comes after a major shift in how the Navy handles mine warfare. The service retired its four Bahrain-based minesweepers last year, ending a decades-long presence of dedicated mine-hunting ships in the Middle East.

The shift has left the Navy relying on a mix of legacy ships being surged into theater and newer unmanned systems designed to detect and neutralize mines.

U.S. negotiators are expected to head to Pakistan for another round of talks with Iran as negotiations to end the conflict move forward.

Reporting from the White House for 'Special Report,' Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the talks are expected to resume this weekend after Iran requested another in-person meeting.

Negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to travel to Islamabad, while Vice President JD Vance is not expected to join.

Tomlinson noted that Iran’s foreign minister has arrived in Pakistan but has not publicly confirmed plans to meet with U.S. officials. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. blockade remains in place, with American forces reportedly turning back dozens of vessels as pressure mounts in the Strait of Hormuz.

Yesterday’s Fox News Digital live blog  offers additional coverage on the Iran conflict.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this reporting.