Amid ongoing tensions in West Asia, President Donald Trump has asserted that US would move forward with opening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz “with or without” a deal with Iran, even as Vice President JD Vance travelled to Pakistan for critical discussions with Tehran.
A US delegation led by Vance left for Islamabad to engage in crucial talks with Iranian officials, Reuters reported.
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Speaking at Joint Base Andrews, Trump claimed that Iranian forces' militarily had been weakened and that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened regardless of the outcome.
"Well, I wish them luck. He's got a big thing. I'll find out what's going on. They're militarily defeated, and now we're going to open up the gulf (Strait of Hormuz) with or without a deal. But that'll be open, we're going to be on the straight as they call it," he said.
Trump expressed confidence in the team, which includes Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, while emphasising that the process could move quickly.
"I think it's going to go pretty quickly, and if it doesn't, we'll be able to finish it off one way or the other. It's going well. The Navy's gone, the Air Force is gone, all anti-aircraft is gone, the leaders are gone, and the whole place is gone. So we'll see how it turns out…So it's JD (US Vice President JD Vance), Steve (Special Envoy Steve Witkoff) and Jared (Kushner). They have a good team, and they meet tomorrow, so we'll see how it all works out," the President added.
Iran has sent a senior delegation to Pakistan, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, to participate in the peace talks aimed at ending weeks of hostilities. The delegation includes Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Secretary of Iran's Defence Council, and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, along with several other members of the Iranian parliament.
Tehran, however, has made it clear that progress hinges on certain preconditions. As per a report by Press TV, Ghalibaf earlier stated that if the conditions are not met, the negotiations may fail.
In a recent post on X, he noted that two measures agreed upon remain unfulfilled, adding that these issues must be fulfilled before any dialogue can proceed.
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.
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) April 10, 2026
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,” he said.
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The developments unfold against the backdrop of a fragile two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran. The first round of talks, scheduled to take place in Islamabad, is seen as a critical opportunity to end the over-month-long conflict in West Asia.
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