Trump says US delegation to go to Pakistan for Iran talks, threatens new strikes

(Reuters)

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, April 19 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday his envoys would return to Pakistan for new talks with ​Iran, while threatening new attacks on Iran’s bridges and power plants unless it accepts his terms.
Trump said the U.S. delegation would arrive on Monday evening, a timetable that leaves just a day for ‌talks to make progress before a two-week ceasefire ends.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he posted on social media. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”

However, there was no immediate confirmation from Iran that it would attend any new talks. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that there had been no decision taken to send a delegation while a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports was in place.

A White ​House official said the U.S. delegation would be headed by Vice President JD Vance, who led the war’s first peace talks a week ago. Trump’s envoy Steve Kushner and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would also ​attend. Earlier, Trump had told ABC News and MS Now that Vance would not go.

Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, earlier said the two sides had made progress but ⁠were still far apart on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.

The vital shipping strait remained closed on Sunday, a day after Iran fired on two vessels that tried to cross.

Iran, which has blocked off the strait to ships apart from ​its own since the United States and Israel attacked on February 28, had announced on Friday it would reopen it. But it reversed that decision on Saturday after Trump declined to lift a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

“Iran decided to fire ​bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!” Trump wrote in Sunday morning’s post. “That wasn’t nice, was it?”