US military ‘raring to go’ if Iran talks fail but 'my negotiators in stronger position', says Trump - as ceasefire to run out in hours
Trump said he does not want to extend a ceasefire with Tehran as the deadline on the two-week truce is set to expire on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump says his team is in a strong position going into Iran talks.
Picture:
Getty
Donald Trump has said he is ready to renew attacks against Iran if progress is not made at eleventh-hour talks in Pakistan, with the US military “raring to go”.
The US president has also said does not want to extend a ceasefire with Tehran as the deadline on the two-week truce is set to expire in just hours. “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” he said.Trump insisted the US was in a strong position and was “going to end up with a great deal” as his team of negotiators gear up to meet with Iranian counterparts in Pakistan. US vice president JD Vance is again leading the US delegation while Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has been tipped as Tehran’s chief negotiator. The timing of the second round of negotiations has not been confirmed despite two-week ceasefire's Wednesday deadline - as the world still waits for Tehran to confirm its attendance.Threatening to resume strikes if a deal is not struck with Iran soon, Trump said: “Well, I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with.Read more: Iran stalls on US peace talks as ceasefire deadline looms - but Trump insists deal is 'imminent'Read more: 'Israel never talked me into the war,' insists Trump as US team heads for talks in Islamabad
U.S. Vice President JD Vance will again leads Trump's delegation in Pakistan.
Picture:
Getty
“But, you know, we’re ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go,” Trump told CNBC.The president added: “What I think is that we’re going to end up with a great deal.”“I think they (Iran) have no choice."We’ve taken out their navy, we’ve taken out their air force, we’ve taken out their leaders.”He again claimed the US and Israel's war has achieved “regime change” and said those now in charge were “much more rational”.Trump continued: “I think we’re in a very strong negotiating position to do what other presidents should have done during a 47-year period.”
A blockade still remains in the Strait of Hormuz.
Picture:
Getty
Meanwhile, Mr Qalibaf has accused the US president of seeking to turn the negotiating table into a “table of surrender”.“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” he wrote in an X post and said Iran was preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield”.Uncertainty has hung over fresh negotiations between the two sides in Islamabad, amid the ongoing impasse in the Strait of Hormuz, which continues to disrupt international shipping.The effective closure of the critical supply route during the conflict has inflicted a global economic shock and sent energy prices soaring.Oil prices fell on Tuesday while most stocks rose on lingering hopes for a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.It comes as UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has been holding discussions with counterparts aimed at safeguarding the strategic waterway, describing it as “a critical diplomatic moment” in the crisis.On Monday night, Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Trump of increasing pressure on Iran though the blockade and ceasefire violations.He claimed Tehran refused to negotiate under threat, warning that “we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield”.A senior Pakistani official also told Reuters that the country had "received a positive signal" from Tehran about attending negotiations and preparations for the talks were still going ahead.
Comments (0)