President Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to Iran, warning that the United States is “ready to go” if peace talks do not go well.
In an interview with NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer, Trump predicted the Strait of Hormuz would reopen in the “not too distant future.”
Asked how he thinks the talks will go, Trump said he has “no idea.” But he warned that if the talks do not go well, the U.S. will “reset. We’re ready to go.”
He earlier told the New York Post that the U.S. is preparing to resume strikes on Iran if peace talks in Pakistan fail.
Why It Matters
The president’s comments come as U.S. and Iranian officials held separate talks with Pakistan’s prime minister on Saturday as part of efforts to encourage direct talks amid a two-week ceasefire made fragile by deep disagreements. The talks could determine whether the ceasefire holds or the war resumes.
Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, where ships carrying much of the world’s traded oil have bottlenecked, has proved a strategic advantage, but Trump has said this was the nation’s only leverage.
What To Know
The U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf each met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday, according to Sharif’s office and Iranian media.
However, no direct U.S.-Iran talks have been announced yet.
Israel has continued strikes in Lebanon even as Iran conditioned talks on a pause in fighting there.
Hours after the U.S. and Iran announced a ceasefire, Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes on Wednesday, killing more than 300 people in the deadliest day in the country since the war began on February 28. The Lebanese state-run news agency reported that Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least three people.
Iran and the United States have outlined competing proposals ahead of the weekend talks.
Iran published a 10-point proposal that included a guaranteed end to the war and no future attacks, an end to economic sanctions and control over the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States submitted a 15-point proposal that includes restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the strait.
Trump posted repeatedly on social media in the lead up to Saturday, saying in a post on Truth Social that Iranian officials “have no cards” to negotiate with “other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways.”
He added: “The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was entering negotiations with “deep distrust” stemming from prior strikes on Iran during previous rounds of talks.
Araghchi, who is part of Iran’s delegation in Pakistan, said on Saturday that his country was prepared to retaliate if it was attacked again.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump decried reporting on the war in a post on Truth Social early Saturday, writing news outlets “love saying that Iran is ‘winning’ when, in fact, everyone knows that they are LOSING, and LOSING BIG!”
He added: “The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship may ‘bunk’ into one of their sea mines which, by the way, all 28 of their mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea. We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others.”
Trump said in another post on Saturday that oil tankers “are heading, right now, to the United States to load up with the best and ‘sweetest’ oil (and gas!) anywhere in the World.”
Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Friday: “If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they’re going to try and play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.”
Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s first vice president, said peace talks between the U.S. and Iran could produce a deal if Washington worked to fulfill American interests in line with Trump’s “America First” doctrine.
Aref wrote in a social media post that there would be no deal “if we face representatives of ‘Israel first’.”
What Happens Next
Direct talks between U.S. and Iranian officials are yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, negotiations between Israel and Lebanon are expected to begin on Tuesday in Washington, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office said Friday.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
