The second round of U.S.-Iran peace talks collapsed on Saturday before it began. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who had arrived in Islamabad on Friday, left Pakistan for Muscat, Oman, without meeting the American delegation, NPR reported. Shortly afterward, President Trump told Fox News that he had pulled Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner off the trip entirely.

"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,'" Trump told Fox News. "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."

The U.S. Navy has now turned back 37 ships from Iranian ports, according to Central Command. Iran has dismissed the ceasefire extension as "meaningless," telling state media that the delegation will not return to the table until the blockade is lifted.

What Happened

The sequence matters. Araghchi arrived in Islamabad Friday. He departed Saturday without engaging the Americans. Trump then canceled the American delegation's travel, framing it as his decision rather than a response to Iran's departure.

Both readings are plausible. Iran may have left because the blockade made talks politically impossible. Trump may have canceled because there was no one to talk to. Or both sides may have concluded independently that the moment was not right and neither wanted to be seen waiting in Islamabad for a meeting that was not going to happen.

The Washington Post reported that Witkoff and Kushner had been scheduled to participate in what Pakistani officials described as proximity talks, meaning the two delegations would occupy separate rooms with Pakistani intermediaries shuttling between them. Iran refused direct talks this round, a step backward from the face-to-face meeting that Vance and Qalibaf held on April 11.

The Blockade Impasse

Iran's position has hardened around a single demand: lift the blockade before talks resume. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Iranian state media that the naval interdiction constitutes "economic warfare" and that no ceasefire framework can be credible while American warships prevent Iranian ships from entering or leaving port.

The administration's position is equally rigid: the blockade is sanctions enforcement, separate from the ceasefire, and will continue until Iran agrees to terms. Defense Secretary Hegseth told reporters Thursday that the blockade will last "as long as it takes" and is "growing and going global," according to CBS News.

This is a standoff that neither side's public position can resolve. Iran will not negotiate under blockade. The United States will not lift the blockade before a deal. The circle needs a creative intermediary or a private concession that neither side has to acknowledge publicly.

Pakistan's Role

Pakistan has invested significant diplomatic capital in hosting the talks. Prime Minister Sharif and Field Marshal Munir have been in regular contact with both sides. The first round produced what Pakistani sources called "largely positive" results. The collapse of the second round is a setback for Islamabad's credibility as a mediator.

Araghchi's departure to Muscat suggests Iran may be exploring alternative diplomatic channels through Oman, which has historically served as a quiet back channel between Washington and Tehran. The JCPOA negotiations in 2013-2015 began through Omani facilitation. If the Islamabad track is dead, Muscat may be the next venue.

What It Means

The ceasefire holds on land. The blockade tightens at sea. The diplomatic track has stalled. Oil rose back above $105 on the news, erasing the relief from Iran's April 17 declaration that the strait was open.

Trump's framing, that the United States holds "all the cards," is partially true. American military dominance is unquestioned. The blockade is economically devastating to Iran. But holding all the cards is only useful if the game produces an outcome. An indefinite ceasefire with an indefinite blockade and no talks is not a strategy. It is a holding pattern, and holding patterns consume fuel without reaching a destination.

The 37 ships turned back are leverage. Leverage that is never converted into a deal is just a Navy deployment.