Trump 'Very Optimistic' On Iran Deal As Vance-Led Delegation Heads To Pakistan For Talks

(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) said he was "very optimistic" that a peace deal with Iran was within reach, as a diplomatic delegation led by Vice President JD Vance was preparing to leave for Pakistan for the upcoming high-stakes talks aimed at ending the conflict.

Speaking to NBC, Trump said that leaders of the Islamic Republic "talk much differently when you're at a meeting than they do to the press. They're much more reasonable,” and added, "They're agreeing to all the things that they have to agree to. Remember, they've been conquered. They have no military.”

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Elaborating further, the US President noted that if Tehran does not agree to a deal, it is going to be "very painful" for them.

US-Iran ceasefire deal strained?

On Tuesday (local time), Trump announced a two-week ceasefire that both countries agreed to. However, he added that the ceasefire was contingent on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Hours after a truce was announced, the Islamic Republic hinted at violating the ceasefire after reports showed Israel launching one of its deadliest attacks on Lebanon. According to both Israel and Trump, Lebanon was not included in the deal with Iran because of Hezbollah, the White House noted on Wednesday. Following the ceasefire announcement, five ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the first day of the fragile truce, according to MarineTraffic.

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After Tehran indicated that the ceasefire could end, Trump, in a phone call with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asked him to "pull back" on the strikes to help ensure the success of the upcoming negotiations, a senior administration official told NBC News. Confirming the conversation on Thursday, Trump noted that the Israelis were "scaling back" operations in Lebanon.

He said, "I spoke with Bibi, and he's going to low-key it. I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key." Vance, who was in Hungary on Wednesday, used similar rhetoric. Speaking to reporters, the US Vice President noted that Israelis may“check themselves a little bit” in the assault on Lebanon.

A similar request was made by European leaders, who asked to include Lebanon in the ceasefire deal. On Wednesday, Netanyahu showed no public indication that he was ready to "scale back" the strikes; however, earlier today, he announced that his government will seek "direct negotiations" with Lebanon.

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A ceasefire was announced Tuesday (local time), bringing the six-week-long conflict to a halt. The deal came after Trump issued a series of threats to the Islamic Republic. On 5 April, he posted on Truth Social, "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!" Many believed it to be the time of the attack if Iran did not agree to the deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait, responsible for transporting nearly a fifth of the world's oil, was shut by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in retaliation for the strikes launched by the US and Israel in late February.

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Following threats by Trump, the Islamic Republic also issued similar warnings and threatened to close the Bab El-Mandeb Strait as well if the situation got out of control. The six-week-long conflict rattled global markets, disrupting oil supply across them.

Pakistan gears up for US-Iran talks

Pakistan, which appears to be the chief mediator, offered Islamabad as a possible venue for talks, which are expected to be held tomorrow. It has also been conveying messages and ceasefire proposals from the US to Iran and vice versa. According to NBC, Vance had been in touch with intermediaries from Pakistan about a potential deal in the last two weeks, leading to a flurry of diplomatic activity while he was overseas in Hungary on Monday and Tuesday.

The Vice President has reportedly also conveyed a "stern" message that Trump was growing increasingly impatient and that there would be more pressure on Iranian infrastructure until Tehran made a deal, telling the intermediaries that Trump was going to make“crystal clear” that he was prepared to hit targets not yet struck by the US.

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For the talks in Pakistan, Vance will be accompanied by Steve Witkoff, the White House's special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. The makeup of the Iranian delegation was not immediately known.

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