ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Friday said Iran has “no cards” left to play in upcoming talks with the United States, except for its control on the Strait of Hormuz waterway.
“The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short-term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!” the US president said on his Truth Social platform.
“The Iranians are better at handling the fake news media, and ‘public relations,’ than they are at fighting!” Trump added.
Control of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz—through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil flows—is expected to be a central issue in upcoming peace talks between the United States and Iran.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who is expected to play a key role in the Islamabad talks, said earlier Friday that a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets must be ensured prior to the commencement of negotiations with the US.
“Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations,” Qalibaf said on US social media platform X. “These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin.”
Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations.
These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin.
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) April 10, 2026
Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance departed from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for Pakistan, where he is expected to lead a US delegation in high-level peace talks with Iran.
The discussions aim to advance diplomatic efforts in the Middle East following a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire.
“We are looking forward to the negotiations. I think it’s going to be positive, as the President of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they’re going to try to play us, then they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive,” JD Vance said while talking to reporters at the airport just before he departed for Pakistan.
Vance also said that Trump “gave us some pretty clear guidelines” on how talks should go, but he didn’t elaborate.
Vance is accompanied by President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who previously participated in three rounds of indirect talks with Iranian negotiators.
The talks mark a pivotal moment in efforts to de-escalate a conflict that had threatened to engulf the wider Middle East, with Pakistan now positioned at the centre of global diplomacy.
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that delegations from Washington and Tehran will arrive in Islamabad following the breakthrough ceasefire.
PM Sharif said the aim is to “further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes”.
