Washington DC: An American delegation will be travelling to Pakistan for a second round of peace talks with Iran on Monday, Donald Trump announced.
Vice-President J D Vance, who headed the US delegation during the fruitless first round of deliberations in Islamabad on April 11, won’t be travelling to Pakistan this time.
“My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations,” Trump wrote .
Trump also warned that the United States will strike Iran’s bridges and power plants if Tehran rejects a proposed deal.
“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. NO MORE MR NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!” read Trump’s latest warning.
In a l
engthy early morning (US Eastern time) post on Truth Social, Trump accused Iran of breaching a ceasefire in the Strait of Hormuz and warned of sweeping retaliation.
“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it?” Trump wrote.
Even after a 10-day ceasefire was agreed to by the US and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz remains the sticking point.
Trump enforced a blockade of Hormuz after the previous peace talks fell through. Iran, having earlier said the strait would be open for shipping oil, recently announced its closure.
“Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it. They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, $500 Million Dollars a day! The United States loses nothing. In fact, many Ships are headed, right now, to the U.S., Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to load up, compliments of the IRGC, always wanting to be ‘the tough guy’!” Trump added.
In an interview with The New York Post, Trump confirmed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will land in Islamabad on Monday.
The tone of his might not amuse Iran, which has remained extremely defiant even after being heavily bombarded by US and Israeli forces since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint strikes on February 28.