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President Trump issued a stark warning late Friday, indicating that the United States might resume military action against Iran if its leaders fail to meet his conditions before the temporary ceasefire expires next week.
Speaking with NewsNation, a partner of The Hill, aboard Air Force One, Trump stated that without an agreement by Wednesday’s deadline, “we’ll have to start dropping bombs again.” He expressed optimism, however, that an accord to end the conflict would be reached.
Trump also confirmed that the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz would remain in place. This blockade was enacted on Monday in response to Tehran’s announcement of new tolls on oil vessels navigating this crucial trade route.
Efforts to mediate the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran have been led by Pakistan. Speaking at a panel in Turkey on Friday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar conveyed a “very hopeful” outlook regarding the talks.
Pakistan has been mediating the negotiations between the two sides. The country’s foreign minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, said he is “very hopeful” about the negotiations during a panel discussion in Turkey on Friday.
“We were very close to stitching a deal, but because of the timeline. the delegations had to go back on the 11th, so we are hoping and still working in the background that we should bridge the gap of certain couple of things, which are pending and one of the issues was also Lebanon,” Dar said. “Lebanon, we have good news that there’s a ceasefire.”
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a temporary truce earlier this week, under pressure from Iran. The Israeli military has been fighting Iran-backed militia group Hezbollah.
Following that deal, the Islamic Republic signaled the Strait of Hormuz would reopen “completely.” The regime reverted back to “strict management” of the channel after Trump said the blockade would remain.
Vice President Vance and several other U.S. diplomats traveled to Pakistan last Saturday to begin the direct talks with Iranian officials. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led the mediating efforts.
However, Vance announced after lengthy discussions that day that the two sides had “not reached an agreement.”
“I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America. So, we go back to the United States having not come to an agreement,” he said at the time.
The temporary ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel has raised hopes that the U.S. and Iran could be a step closer to deal to end the strikes that began on Feb. 28.
Trump commended Pakistan’s mediation efforts on Thursday and indicated he may travel to Islamabad if a deal is reached.
“Pakistan has been great. They’ve been so good,” the president told reporters on Thursday. “If a deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go.”