Trump says US envoys heading to Islamabad for Iran talks amid Strait of Hormuz tensions

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that US representatives are set to reach Islamabad tomorrow evening for negotiations with Iran.

“My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account.

Separately, Trump told the New York Post on Sunday that negotiations to end the Iran conflict would resume this week, with his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff traveling to Pakistan.

“Steve’s going to be going there tomorrow night,” Trump said in a phone call from the White House, confirming that Witkoff will arrive in Islamabad on Monday evening ahead of a second round of talks.

Trump added that Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and a veteran of past Middle East dealmaking, will also be involved in the talks scheduled for Tuesday. Vice President JD Vance, who led a previous round of negotiations, will not attend.

In contradiction of what Trump said, ABC and Axios separately reported, the former referring to envoy Mike Waltz and the latter to a US official, that Vance will lead the US team in Pakistan. Separately, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN that Vance will travel to Islamabad.

ABC later reported that Trump told them Vance would not be going to Islamabad because of security concerns. “JD’s great,” Trump said, noting the US Secret Service cannot arrange the vice president’s visit on a 24-hour notice. There has been no immediate reaction from the White House or Vance’s office regarding this reporting.

Trump told Fox News that meetings will take place on Tuesday, possibly extending into Wednesday, in an effort to finalize an agreement.

Trump also left open the possibility of traveling to Islamabad himself if progress is made, after being told that Qatari officials had been spotted in the Pakistani capital ahead of the negotiations.

“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!” he wrote on his post, alleging that Iranian forces targeted vessels in the strategic waterway, including a French ship and a UK-flagged freighter.

Trump also stated that Iran had threatened to close the strategic waterway, arguing that such a move would be self-damaging, stating: “They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, 500 million dollars a day.”

Trump said global shipping routes were continuing to supply the US, adding that American-bound vessels were heading toward ports in Texas, Louisiana and Alaska.

“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” he further wrote.

He added that previous administrations had failed to address Iran over several decades, and reiterated a hardline stance, saying he hoped Tehran would accept the proposal to avoid further escalation.

He further wrote: “IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!”

Trump escalated his rhetoric further in his interview with Fox News, warning that if Iran does not sign the deal, “the whole country is getting blown up,” with bridges and power plants among the targets. He described the proposal as “a very simple deal” and called it the “last chance” for Iran.

“We’re preparing to hit them harder than any country has ever been hit before because you cannot let them have a nuclear weapon,” he said.