US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is “very optimistic” about reaching an agreement with Iran in talks scheduled for the coming days in Islamabad, while also urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint in Lebanon.
Referring to Iranian authorities, Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News that “they speak very differently in meetings than they do with the press; they are much more reasonable.”
According to Trump, Tehran’s leaders “are accepting everything they have to accept” because “they have been defeated and no longer have armed forces,” following more than a month of aerial offensives launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 against the Islamic Republic.
“If they don’t make a deal, it will be very painful,” he warned ahead of peace negotiations between US and Iranian delegations in the Pakistani capital, which had been threatened by a major Israeli attack in Lebanon on Wednesday.
Read more about this topic: Iran War: Trump announces two-week ceasefire (with videos)
Dozens of airstrikes in Beirut and in southern and eastern Lebanon caused 303 deaths and 1,150 injuries, according to the latest figures from the Lebanese Health Ministry. The attacks led Tehran to temporarily reinstate a blockade on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and raised doubts about whether its negotiators would travel to Islamabad.
The White House announced that the US delegation will be led by Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Talks are expected to begin on Saturday morning.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that he had asked Netanyahu to exercise moderation in the war front in Lebanon against the Shiite group Hezbollah, an ally of Tehran. Photo: AFP
The Iranian side is expected to be represented by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The negotiation agenda is expected to focus on Iran’s nuclear program and long-range missile production, as well as the future of the Strait of Hormuz—through which 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the war—Tehran’s support for regional militias, mechanisms to prevent further conflict, and international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Read more about this topic: Iran War: Trump does not rule out ground troops if deal isn’t reached (with video)
Despite initial indications from Pakistani mediators, Israel and the United States maintain that Lebanon is excluded from the two-week truce agreed on Tuesday night to allow negotiations to proceed, while Iran has interpreted the agreement differently.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated condemnation of the “ongoing aggression by Israel against Lebanon” and warned that Wednesday’s attacks threaten negotiations between Washington and Tehran, after the Lebanese government requested that the conflict be included in the Islamabad talks.
In his comments to NBC, Trump confirmed that he had asked Netanyahu to exercise moderation in the war front in Lebanon against the Shiite group Hezbollah, an ally of Tehran.
“I spoke with Bibi [Netanyahu], and he is going to be more moderate. I think we need to be a bit more moderate,” Trump said.
Read more about this topic: Iran War: IMF says conflict could trigger “asymmetric” economic shock
Following the most intense and deadly wave of attacks in Lebanon over the past month, Netanyahu announced that Israel will begin direct negotiations with the Lebanese government aimed at disarming Hezbollah and establishing “peaceful relations” between the two countries.
“Considering repeated calls from Lebanon to begin direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the government yesterday [Wednesday] to initiate them as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said in a statement from his office.
According to Trump, Tehran’s leaders “are accepting everything they have to accept” because “they have been defeated and no longer have armed forces.” Photo: credits via LUSA
He also said that “Israel appreciates the decision of Lebanon’s prime minister to demilitarize Beirut,” referring to a ban announced by Nawaf Salam on weapons carried by non-state groups in the capital.
In response, a Hezbollah lawmaker reiterated the group’s rejection of dialogue with Israel, while a Lebanese government source quoted by AFP said Beirut wants a ceasefire before starting negotiations.
Read more about this topic: Rutte echoes Trump’s concerns over China and Russia influence in Greenland (with videos)
Hezbollah resumed attacks on Israeli territory on March 2, breaking a ceasefire that had been in place since November 2024 but was never fully respected.
On the same day, the Lebanese government banned the group’s military activities, although it continued launching rockets and drones into Israeli territory.
In recent weeks, Israel has carried out an intense bombing campaign in Lebanon while expanding ground positions in the south of the country from the previous conflict, resulting in more than 1,500 deaths and over one million displaced people, according to authorities in Beirut.
