US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran has no "cards" to play in upcoming negotiations with the United States in Pakistan, except for controlling maritime traffic in the vital energy Strait of Hormuz. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "It doesn't seem like the Iranians understand they have no cards left except to blackmail the world in the short term by using international waterways. The only reason they are still alive today is negotiation!". Earlier, Trump warned Iran of new strikes in case the talks fail within a temporary ceasefire, as reported by an American newspaper on Friday. The New York Post quoted Trump as saying: "We are currently loading ships with the best munitions, the best weapons ever made, even better than what we did previously when we tore them to shreds". He added: "If we don't reach an agreement, we will use them very effectively". This comes as US Vice President JD Vance travels to Islamabad ahead of the expected negotiations with Iran, warning it against "playing games" with Washington, while Tehran insisted on conditions that must be met before talks begin, especially a ceasefire by Israel in Lebanon.
