DM Monitoring
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that US negotiators will be arriving in Islamabad today (Monday) to hold the second round of talks with Iran, while warning Tehran of dire consequences if it rejects a peace deal with Washington.
“My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow [Monday] evening, for Negotiations,” the US president wrote in a post on his Truth Social on Sunday.
He also accused Iran of a “total violation” of the two countries’ ceasefire for firing on ships near the Strait of Hormuz, and renewed a threat to wipe out Iran’s bridges and power plants unless it accepted his terms.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he warned. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
Meanwhile, conflicting reports have emerged over the composition of the US delegation for the second round of talks with Tehran.
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff were heading to Islamabad for the talks, Axios quoted the US president as saying.
The report came shortly after NBC News reported that Vice President JD Vance — who led Washington’s delegation in the previous talks — will be part of the delegation for the second round.
Citing the US ambassador to the United Nations, the publication said that Vance will lead the delegation.
Global oil prices fell and stock markets surged on Friday when Iran first announced it would reopen the strait, which it had effectively closed to all shipping apart from its own since Trump and Israel launched the war on February 28.
But after Trump said he would continue a blockade of Iranian shipping, Tehran said on Saturday it was keeping the strait closed. At least two ships reported they had been fired upon while approaching the strait on Saturday.
“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!” Trump wrote in Sunday morning’s post. “That wasn’t nice, was it?”
Security on high alert
Meanwhile, an advance team from the US has arrived in Islamabad as Pakistan prepares to host the second round of talks between Washington and Tehran, sources said on Sunday.
Advance teams from foreign delegations have begun arriving in the country ahead of the much-anticipated talks, sources said.
Authorities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi heightened security in the federal capital, sealing off the Red Zone to all traffic.
The Middle East conflict began on February 28, following joint strikes by the US and Israel against. The scope of the conflict quickly spread as Tehran effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz and launched retaliatory attacks against Israel and US bases across the Gulf region.
After agreeing to the PM Shehbaz-facilitated ceasefire, the two sides held negotiations in Islamabad over the last weekend on a wide range of disputes. However, the talks could result in an agreement for a permanent end to the conflict.
However, Pakistan continued its marathon efforts to help resolve longstanding disputes between the two sides, including COAS-CDF Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran, where he met Iran’s top political and military leadership.
A day after CDF Munir’s visit, Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open, citing the agreement of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
However, the country blocked the waterway again, citing Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports as the reason.
Despite lingering issues, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said talks with Washington have seen “progress,” but “many gaps and some fundamental points remain.”
“We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf in a televised address earlier today.
