U.S. signals readiness for force if negotiations fail, as delegations meet in Pakistan amid fragile ceasefire and deep divisions over nuclear program and regional security
President Donald Trump said the United States is preparing military options if negotiations with Iran fail to produce a deal, as delegations from both countries arrived in Pakistan for high-stakes talks that could lead to peace—or a resumption of hostilities.
“We’re loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made,” Trump told the New York Post in an April 10 phone interview. “And if we don’t have a deal, we will be using them—and we will be using them very effectively.”
The remarks came hours before Vice President JD Vance departed for Islamabad, where U.S. and Iranian delegations are set to begin indirect negotiations aimed at ending more than a month of conflict and potentially turning a fragile ceasefire into a lasting truce.
“We’re going to find out in about 24 hours,” Trump said. “We’re going to know soon.”
Talks Begin Under Military Shadow
The negotiations, mediated by Pakistan, are expected to focus on core disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, control of the Strait of Hormuz, and the scope of the ceasefire, among other issues.
Vance is leading the U.S. delegation alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner. Both the U.S. and Iranian teams held separate meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of the talks, which are expected to begin later in the day.
Sharif’s office said Pakistan remains committed to facilitating a lasting resolution to the conflict, while U.S. officials have expressed cautious optimism.
“The Prime Minister expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region,” Sharif’s office said in a statement on social media, while sharing a video showing Pakistani officials greeting Vance ahead of meetings.
Vance told reporters as he departed Washington on Friday that he believes the outcome is “going to be positive” but warned that if Iran negotiates in bad faith, there would be consequences.
“If they’re going to try and play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive,” he said.
Trump told the New York Post on Friday that a “reset” in relations with Iran is underway, though he cautioned that deception by Iranian officials on key issues such as nuclear enrichment could cause the talks to collapse.
“You’re dealing against people that we don’t know whether or not they tell the truth,” Trump said. “To our face, they’re getting rid of all nuclear weapons, everything’s gone. And then they go out to the press and say, ‘No, we’d like to enrich.’ So we’ll find out.”
Retired Gen. Jack Keane recently said that Trump is aware of past Iranian deception and is confident the president “will not make a bad deal.”
Nuclear Demands, Hormuz at Center of Dispute
Trump has made clear that eliminating Iran’s nuclear capabilities remains Washington’s top priority, saying Tehran must halt uranium enrichment and hand over existing stockpiles under international supervision.
The talks are also expected to address the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping lane through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil typically passes.
Iran’s effective closure of the strait since the start of the conflict has disrupted global energy markets, driving oil prices sharply higher and contributing to inflation pressures in the United States.
Trump has said he views Iran’s leverage in the talks as limited, stating that Tehran has “no cards” beyond attempting to restrict maritime traffic.
“The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate,” he wrote in a recent social media post, accusing Iran of using the waterway for extortion.
Iran Signals Distrust, Sets Conditions
Iranian officials have entered the talks cautiously, signaling deep skepticism about U.S. intentions.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is approaching the negotiations with “complete distrust,” citing what he described as repeated U.S. breaches of prior commitments, according to Iranian state-run Press TV.
Iran is represented at the Islamabad talks by Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Ghalibaf has outlined preconditions for negotiations, including a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of frozen Iranian assets—demands that have complicated the diplomatic process.
Iran’s embassy in South Africa said in a post on X early Saturday that Tehran’s preconditions to start talks “have been accepted,” though it provided no further details.
Tehran has also insisted that any broader agreement include an end to Israeli military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, a position rejected by Washington and Israel, which view the Lebanon front as separate from the current truce.
At the same time, the United States has agreed to mediate ceasefire talks between Lebanon and Israel, with initial contacts already made and a follow-up meeting scheduled in Washington next week.
Trump’s latest warning about possible re-escalation if the talks fail comes as a 14-day ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan and announced April 7, remains in place but under strain.
