Peace talks fail to restart! Trump cancels US envoy's trip to Pakistan.

According to CCTV news, US President Trump announced on Saturday local time that he had canceled the trip of special envoys Kurt Volker and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan for negotiations with Iran. Trump posted on social media, "The journey takes too long, it's a waste of time, and there are urgent matters that need to be addressed. In addition, there is severe infighting and chaos within their 'leadership'. They don't even know who is in charge. Also, we hold all the cards, and they have nothing! If they want to talk, they just need to make a phone call!" According to the White House, Volker and Kushner were originally scheduled to travel to Pakistan earlier in the day to begin "direct negotiations" with Iranian officials. Earlier on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif concluded his visit to Pakistan and left for Oman. Zarif arrived in Pakistan on Friday, and Iranian officials made it clear that there were no arrangements for talks with the US during Zarif's visit. Zarif stated that his visit to Pakistan was fruitful, and Iran appreciates Pakistan's efforts to restore peace in the region. During this visit, he presented Iran's stance on establishing a viable framework to permanently end the conflict with Iran to Pakistani officials. He also stated that whether the US is sincere in its diplomatic efforts remains to be seen. Trump revealed on Friday that Iran would "present a plan," but he was unsure of the specifics, saying "we'll have to wait and see." Two weeks ago, the first round of peace talks held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, led by US Vice President Pence, failed to reach an agreement. The US delegation, including Pence, was supposed to go to Pakistan earlier this week for further talks, but the trip was postponed after Iranian officials reportedly said they would not attend. One core issue of disagreement between the two sides focuses on the Strait of Hormuz, which is a crucial global oil shipping route. Due to Iranian threats and recent US naval blockade actions, shipping traffic in the strait has significantly decreased. Trump pointed out that the US will not lift the blockade on Iranian ports until an agreement is reached with Iran. The US continues to exert other economic pressures on Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Benett said on Friday that the US does not intend to renew previously granted sanctions waivers for purchasing Iranian oil at sea. He added, "It's not in the Iranians' hands, we control the blockade, and no oil can be shipped out. We believe that within the next two to three days, they will have to start shutting down production, which will be very detrimental to their oil wells." These tensions further jeopardize the already fragile ceasefire agreement. The ceasefire was announced on April 7, when Trump threatened that if no agreement was reached, Iran's "entire civilization will be destroyed." After Trump announced the cancellation of the US envoys' trip to Pakistan, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that, due to the continuing violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Hezbollah in Lebanon, he has ordered the Israeli Defense Forces to strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon forcefully. This article is reprinted from Falian Social Finance; GMTEight editor: Wang Qiujia.