US President Donald Trump on Sunday said talks with Iran in Islamabad had yielded progress on “most points” but failed to secure agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme, warning that Washington would move to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s statement came hours after the US delegation left Islamabad without reaching an agreement with Iran during the Islamabad Talks.
In a lengthy statement, Trump said the nearly 20-hour meeting had gone “well” overall, but stressed that the “only point that really mattered” — Iran’s nuclear ambitions — remained unresolved.
Trump further said he had been fully debriefed by Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the meeting held in Islamabad, which he said took place under the leadership of Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He described the Pakistani leadership as “extraordinary”, adding that they had thanked him for what he claimed was his role in preventing a potential war with India that could have cost millions of lives.
“I have been fully debriefed by Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, on the meeting that took place in Islamabad through the kind and very competent leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan. They are very extraordinary men, and continuously thank me for saving 30 to 50 million lives in what would have been a horrendous War with India. I always appreciate hearing that — The amount of Humanity spoken of is incomprehensible,” said the US president.
“In many ways, the points that were agreed to are better than us continuing our Military Operations to conclusion, but all of those points don’t matter compared to allowing Nuclear Power to be in the hands of such volatile, difficult, unpredictable people,” said Trump in the Truth Social post.
Trump said his representatives became “very friendly and respectful” towards their Iranian counterparts during the prolonged talks, despite deep differences between the two sides.
He said the Iranian officials, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi and Ali Bagheri, they remained “unyielding” on what he described as the most important issue — Tehran’s nuclear programme.
He reiterated that Iran would “never have a nuclear weapon”, describing its stance as unyielding despite what he termed substantive discussions between both sides.
Trump said the United States Navy would begin the process of blockading vessels entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, citing concerns over maritime security and alleging that Iran had threatened shipping in the waterway. He added that US forces had been instructed to interdict vessels in international waters that had paid what he described as “illegal tolls” to Iran.
Trump further warned of military consequences if Iranian forces targeted US or commercial vessels, saying Washington remained prepared to escalate its response. He also indicated that other countries could join the proposed blockade, while reiterating that Iran would not be allowed to benefit from what he called “extortion” in international waters.
More to follow
