Donald Trump has announced plans to send a US delegation to Pakistan for fresh negotiations with Iran, while issuing renewed threats against the country’s infrastructure if a deal is not reached.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump said talks would resume in Islamabad, warning that failure to agree could lead to severe military action. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” he wrote, adding that the United States could target “every single power plant, and every single bridge” in Iran if negotiations collapse.
The planned talks come as a fragile ceasefire between the United States, Iran and Israel approaches its expiration. Only one round of negotiations has taken place so far, held in Islamabad earlier this month, but it ended without a breakthrough.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the two sides remain “far from the final discussion,” underscoring the ongoing tensions.
The dispute centres largely on Iran’s nuclear programme, which the US says must be curtailed, while Tehran insists it is pursuing peaceful purposes. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian questioned why Iran should give up what he described as its “legal right” to nuclear development.
Another major point of contention is the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route for oil and gas. Iran has repeatedly closed and reopened the strait during the conflict, while the US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Iranian authorities have warned that any vessel attempting to pass through the strait without permission could be treated as hostile. Meanwhile, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the US blockade as a violation of the ceasefire.
Security has been heightened in Islamabad ahead of the expected arrival of US negotiators, with road closures, checkpoints and increased armed presence reported across the city.
The previous US delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance and included Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Despite Trump’s claim that Iran had agreed to hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium, Iranian officials have denied that any such agreement has been reached.
With the ceasefire deadline approaching, both diplomatic efforts and military tensions remain high, leaving uncertainty over whether a long-term agreement can be secured.