On Tuesday, Donald Trump accused Iran of numerous ceasefire violations. At the same time, he expressed confidence that Washington would get “a great deal,” on the eve of the ceasefire’s expiration with no signs of resuming discussions in Islamabad.
“Iran has violated the ceasefire on numerous occasions!” the American president wrote in a brief message on his Truth Social network, without providing further details.
He then stated that the United States is in a “very strong position” to negotiate. “I think we will end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice,” said the American president in an interview on CNBC.
Washington and Tehran are expected to resume talks in Pakistan, but neither side has officially announced the dispatch of their delegations.
No confirmation has been obtained from the American side regarding the departure of Vice President JD Vance, who had already participated in the initial talks on April 11. And the Iranian state television has stated that “no delegation” has left yet, specifying that Tehran is waiting for a “change in behavior” from the United States.
Expected Negotiators
In Islamabad, everything is all set to welcome negotiating teams. Heavily armed police officers and soldiers secure the government district where the discussions are supposed to take place, and the Serena hotel, where the first session was held, has been cleared of its guests in recent days.
The rest of the Pakistani capital is operating at a slower pace, with shops, offices, and schools closed, while trucks are banned from entering the city.
The talks aim to find a lasting agreement to end the war that has claimed thousands of lives, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and has shaken the global economy, as the ceasefire that came into effect on April 8 expires “Wednesday evening, American time,” according to Donald Trump.
Contradictory Statements
The American president, who has been issuing ultimatums and contradictory statements since the start of the war, deemed an extension of the ceasefire “highly unlikely” on Monday night.
If American demands are not met before the deadline, “a lot of bombs will explode,” he warned, as Washington is asking for the opening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime route for global oil trade.
Donald Trump reiterated his intention to maintain the blockade on Iranian ports “until there is a ‘DEAL’” with Tehran, stating that Iran is losing “500 million dollars a day, an unsustainable figure for them, even in the short term.”
The United States also announced on Tuesday that they had intercepted and inspected an Iranian oil tanker under sanction, in an unspecified area, without incident.
Touching on the nuclear issue, the trigger for the conflict, Mr. Trump acknowledged that unearthing Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium would be a “lengthy and challenging process.” He had previously claimed that Iran had agreed to surrender its stocks, a claim that Tehran has denied, asserting that they do not seek nuclear weapons and defend their right to civilian nuclear energy.
“We do not accept negotiations under threat, and, over the past two weeks, we have been preparing to play new cards on the ground,” highlighted the President of the Islamic Republic’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
“The current impasse between the United States and Iran is no longer a confrontation of capabilities, but rather a political endurance struggle and negotiation leverage,” states the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in a note.
Savoring the Ceasefire
In Tehran, where the main airports reopened on Monday after several weeks, life has returned to normal, with crowded cafes, athletes, and many people in parks.
Mobina Rasoulian, a 19-year-old student, enjoyed the respite brought by the ceasefire to the fullest. “I went out without stress, took a stroll, went to cafes and restaurants, here and there,” recounted the young woman, interviewed by AFP on a street in the capital.
But for Saghar, 39, speaking to a Paris-based team, “there is no light at the end of the tunnel.” “The economic situation is terrible. They (the authorities) arrest people for no reason. Executions are on the rise,” she added.
A man sentenced for setting fire to a mosque during the December and January protests, and accused of collaborating with the United States and Israel, was hanged on Tuesday morning, according to the Mizan Online website, the judiciary’s official organ.
Israel-Lebanon Discussions
On the other front of the conflict that has engulfed the Middle East, new direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place on Thursday in Washington, announced the American diplomacy. Like the initial talks on April 14, they will be held at the ambassadorial level.
A fragile 10-day ceasefire came into effect on Friday between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
Israel intends to disarm Hezbollah through “military and diplomatic means,” stated Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, on Tuesday.
According to a new official toll, 2,387 people have been killed in Lebanon in the six weeks of war.
This article was automatically generated. Sources: ats / afp
