Donald Trump Says Iran Talks Are in Final Stages, Warns of Fresh Strikes

U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran were in the “final stages” and warned that “Either [we] have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty,” as he spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews.

Trump said “We’re in final stages of Iran,” and added “We’ll see what happens,” while the South China Morning Post reported he told reporters it was “right on the borderline.”

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The same reporting described Trump’s warning that if “we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly,” and that “We’re all ready to go.”

Trump also framed the stakes in terms of timing and casualties, saying “Ideally, I’d like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot.”

Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X that “We do not accept negotiating under coercive threats,” and said the Islamic Republic was preparing to “unveil new cards on the battlefield.”

The reporting said the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is due to expire on Wednesday, and that Trump said if no agreement is reached he would order strikes on the energy sector and civilian infrastructure.

Al Jazeera

Axios, cited in the same account, said Vance would travel to Pakistan on Tuesday to hold talks with Iran, while White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavit told Fox News that “The United States is closer tonight than ever to achieving a really good deal.”

Iran’s position was also described through Iranian television’s confirmation that “no Iranian delegation has gone to Islamabad—whether a main delegation or a preparatory one,” denying reports of an Iranian delegation arriving in Pakistan.

As the ceasefire deadline approached, multiple reports described uncertainty around whether the next round of talks would proceed in Islamabad, with the South China Morning Post noting indirect talks and no sign of an end to the war.

The New York Post reported that Pakistani sources said they were helping the US and Iran draft a letter of intent for a new round of talks, and that Trump said the talks would take place in Islamabad if Iran was ready to talk about axing its nuclear ambitions and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The New York Post also said the Strait of Hormuz remained a sticking point, with Iran considering it their territorial waters and wanting to install a toll for commercial ship traffic, while cargo vessels and oil tankers remained in a holding pattern as the waterway stayed closed.

In parallel, the New York Post reported that the US military launched blockade to Iranian ports, which the Pentagon considers one of its main leverage points with Tehran, and that the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned “The window for preventive action is closing quickly.”