Trump shrugs off Iran after ceasefire talks collapse

President Donald Trump said on Monday he does not care whether Iran returns to negotiations with the United States after multilateral ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without a deal. His remarks came a day after a 21 hour round of talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad failed to produce any agreement.

“I don't care if they come back or not. If they don't come back, I am fine,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after returning from Florida. He added that during the weekend discussions, Iran made its desire for a nuclear weapon clear, even as it sat across the table from the US delegation. “They still want it, and they made that clear the other night. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” he asserted.

Hours before the talks collapsed, Trump had already downplayed the importance of any potential agreement. Speaking outside the White House on Saturday, he said it would make “no difference” to him whether a deal was reached with Tehran. “Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t, it doesn't matter. From the standpoint of America, we win,” he declared, insisting the United States would emerge ahead regardless of the outcome.

The US and Iranian delegations, led by Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrapped up their talks in Islamabad with no breakthrough. The discussions, meant to salvage a fragile two week ceasefire, foundered on deep differences over Iran’s nuclear enrichment ambitions and continued Israeli strikes on Iran backed Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. Vance later said Washington needs an “affirmative commitment” that Iran will neither seek a nuclear weapon nor the tools to quickly build one.

Iran’s President, in turn, has said his country remains ready to reach a “balanced and fair” agreement, but the collapse of the Islamabad round has dimmed hopes of a near term resolution. The failure to agree also weakens prospects of reopening the Strait of Hormuz in a way that would stabilise global energy markets, while raising questions about whether the US will soon resume its military campaign against Iranian targets.