Donald Trump has announced plans to dispatch a delegation to Pakistan for renewed negotiations with Iran, while warning of severe consequences if no agreement is reached.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, the US president struck a combative tone, declaring, “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” and cautioning that failure to secure a deal could trigger devastating action.
“Without a deal, we’re going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he said.
The move comes just days before the expiration of a fragile two-week ceasefire involving the United States, Iran, and Israel—an arrangement that paused hostilities following US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
Diplomatic efforts have yielded little progress. A single 21-hour negotiation session held in Islamabad on April 11 ended without a breakthrough, although backchannel discussions have continued. A second round of talks is expected soon, though no official date has been confirmed.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it,” Trump added.
However, Iran has pushed back on suggestions that an agreement is imminent.
Parliament Speaker and senior negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the sides remain “still far from the final discussion.”
At the heart of the dispute is Iran’s nuclear programme. Washington maintains that the conflict is aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons—an allegation Iran has consistently denied.
Tensions have also been heightened by the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route. Iran initially shut the passage at the onset of the conflict, briefly reopened it following a ceasefire involving Israel and Hezbollah, and then closed it again after the US maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iranian authorities have warned that vessels attempting to pass through the strait without approval could be treated as hostile.
Meanwhile, security has been tightened in Islamabad ahead of the anticipated talks, with road closures, checkpoints, and increased military presence around key locations.
The previous US delegation to the talks was led by Vice President JD Vance and included Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
A major sticking point remains Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Trump recently claimed Tehran had agreed to hand over roughly 440 kilogrammes of the material, saying, “We’re going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators.”
But Iran has firmly rejected that claim. Its foreign ministry insists the uranium stockpile “is not going to be transferred anywhere,” and that surrendering it to the US “has never been raised in negotiations.”
Amid the uncertainty, maritime tensions continue to rise, with reports of vessels being fired upon or threatened near the Strait—underscoring the risks facing global shipping as the standoff drags on.
