Trump says makes 'no difference' to him if Iran, US reach deal
"The reason is because we've won," Trump told reporters as top-level peace talks between Washington and Tehran entered a second day.
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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday (Apr 11) he was not bothered about the outcome of US-Iran talks in Pakistan, insisting the United States had come out ahead from the war.
"Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me. The reason is because we've won," Trump told reporters.
"We're in very deep negotiations with Iran. We win regardless. We've defeated them militarily," Trump said.
Trump was speaking as top-level peace talks between the US and Iran entered a second day on Sunday, with Washington piling on pressure by saying it had sent minesweeping ships through the vital Strait of Hormuz - a claim Tehran denied.
In the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, Vice President JD Vance on Saturday became the highest-ranking American to meet directly with Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic revolution, days after the US and Israel halted their war that had plunged the Middle East and global economy into tumult.
The White House said talks extended beyond midnight, but Iranian media accused the US of making "excessive demands" on the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil transits.
A Pakistani official told AFP talks were "progressing in the right direction".
"I can say that discussions are moving positively and the overall atmosphere is cordial," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In a break with precedent, Iranian and US officials were meeting directly, alongside Pakistan, and not speaking through mediators who shuttled between rooms.
Iran had sought the presence of Vance due to his top position and his reported initial opposition to the war.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's special envoy and son-in-law respectively, joined Vance.
The 70-strong Iranian delegation was led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the powerful speaker of parliament, and included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Iran demands for any agreement to end the war include unfreezing sanctioned Iranian assets and ending Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Vance has said will not be up for discussion in Islamabad.
Experts said Iran's delegation showed it was serious about leaving Pakistan with a deal.
"The size, seniority and breadth of the Iranian delegation ... signal both Tehran's sincerity in these negotiations and its expectations and confidence," said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of a book on US-Iran diplomacy.
Trump had earlier repeated the US military's statement that US Navy warships on Saturday transited through the strait to begin clearing it of Iranian mines.
"We have minesweepers out there. We're sweeping the strait," Trump said.
"We'll open up the strait even though we don't use it, because we have a lot of other countries in the world that do use it that are either afraid or weak or cheap," Trump said.
The Iranian military denied that any American warships had entered the waterway and threatened to respond if they do so.
"Any attempt by military vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz will be dealt with severely," the Revolutionary Guards' Naval Command said in a statement, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
It said that Iranian promises of safe passage during a two-week ceasefire applied only to "civilian vessels under specific conditions".
Trump also voiced frustration with allies from NATO, who stayed on the sidelines during the war, and who were not consulted in advance.
"We were not helped by NATO, that I can tell you," Trump said.
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