With Vance en route to Pakistan, Trump toughens the tone on Iran
After Iran parliament speaker says Lebanon ceasefire, release of Iran’s blocked assets must be implemented before talks with U.S. can begin
With his deputy departing to represent U.S. in the talks with Iran in Pakistan, President Donald Trump has hardened the rhetoric on Friday, after the Iranians posed preconditions for negotiations to begin.
"The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, "other than a short term extortion of the world by using international waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate."
He also told the New York Post that "'We’re going to find out in about 24 hours' whether Iran talks are successful." Meanwhile "we’re loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made — even better than what we did previously and we blew them apart."
The statements come after Iran's speaker of parliament said that a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel is conducting a military operation against Iranian proxy Hezbollah, and the release of Iran’s blocked assets are two preconditions that must be implemented before talks with U.S. can begin.