This handout photograph taken on April 25, 2026 and released by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Office shows Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (C) addressing a meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (5L) amid the Middle East war, at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad. (Photo by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Office / AFP)
TEHRAN, Iran—Iran’s foreign minister headed to Russia on Sunday as peace efforts between Tehran and Washington hung in the balance, following a flurry of regional diplomacy and the collapse of planned talks in Pakistan.
Abbas Araghchi visited Oman between trips to Pakistani capital Islamabad and is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin on Monday, according to the Iranian ambassador.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump scrapped a planned trip to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
In a sign that efforts were ongoing, the Fars news agency said Iran had sent “written messages” to the Americans via mediator Pakistan outlining red lines, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.
Fars said the messages were not part of formal negotiations, however.
A ceasefire in the US-Israeli war with Iran has so far held, but its economic shockwaves continue to reverberate globally.