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On Tuesday, Donald Trump accused Iran of numerous ceasefire violations. At the same time, he expressed confidence that Washington would obtain “a great deal,” ahead of the ceasefire expiration with no signs of resuming discussions in Islamabad.

“Iran has violated the ceasefire many times!” the American president wrote in a brief message on his Truth Social network, without further details.

He then stated that the United States was in a “very strong position” to negotiate. “I think we will end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice,” the American president said in an interview with CNBC.

Washington and Tehran are supposed to resume talks in Pakistan, but both sides have not officially announced sending their delegations.

No confirmation has been obtained from the Americans regarding the departure of Vice President JD Vance, who had already participated in the initial talks on April 11. The Iranian state television, on the other hand, stated that “no delegation” had left yet, specifying that Tehran was waiting for a “change in behavior” from the United States.

Expected Negotiators

In Islamabad, everything is set to welcome negotiating teams. Heavily armed police officers and soldiers secure the government district where the discussions are supposed to take place, and the Serena Hotel, where the first session was held, has been emptied of its guests in recent days.

The rest of the Pakistani capital is running slowly, with closed shops, offices, and schools, while trucks are banned from entering the city.

The talks aim to find a lasting agreement to end the war that has claimed thousands of lives, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and shaken the global economy, as the ceasefire that came into effect on April 8 expires “Wednesday evening, American time,” according to Donald Trump.

Contradictory Statements

The American president, who has been issuing ultimatums and contradictory statements since the beginning of the war, deemed an extension of the ceasefire “highly unlikely” on Monday evening.

If American demands are not met before the deadline, “many bombs will explode,” he warned, as Washington calls for, among other things, a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime route for the global hydrocarbon trade.

Donald Trump reaffirmed that he intends to maintain the blockade on Iranian ports “until there is a ‘DEAL’ with Tehran,” claiming that Iran is losing “500 million dollars a day, a figure that is unsustainable for them, even in the short term.”

The United States also announced on Tuesday that they had intercepted and inspected an Iranian tanker under sanction “without incident” in an unspecified area.

Regarding the nuclear issue, the trigger for the conflict, Mr. Trump acknowledged that unearthing Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile would be a “long and difficult process.” He had previously stated that Iran had agreed to hand over its stocks, which Tehran denied, rejecting the notion of seeking nuclear weapons and defending its right to civilian nuclear power.

“We do not accept negotiations under threat, and over the past two weeks, we have been preparing to play new cards on the field,” highlighted the president of the Islamic Republic’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

“The current impasse between the United States and Iran is no longer a confrontation of capabilities but rather a political endurance struggle and negotiation leverage,” says CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) in a note.

Savoring the Ceasefire

In Tehran, where major airports reopened on Monday after several weeks, life has returned to normal, with crowded cafes, athletes, and walkers in parks.

Mobina Rasoulian, a 19-year-old student, enjoyed the respite brought by the ceasefire to the fullest. “I went out without stress, took a walk, went to cafes, restaurants, and here,” recounted the young woman, interviewed by AFP on a capital street.

But for Saghar, 39, speaking to a team based in Paris, “there is no light at the end of the tunnel.” “The economic situation is terrible. They (the authorities) arrest people for no reason. Executions are on the rise.”

A man sentenced for setting fire to a mosque during the December and January protests, and accused of collaborating with the United States and Israel, was hanged Tuesday morning, according to the Mizan Online website, the judiciary’s mouthpiece.

Israel-Lebanon Discussions

On the other front of the war that has engulfed the Middle East, new direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place in Washington on Thursday, announced the US diplomatic mission. Like the first talks on April 14, they will be held at the ambassadorial level.

A fragile 10-day ceasefire came into effect Friday between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, who accused each other of violations.

Israel intends to disarm Hezbollah through “military and diplomatic means,” stated Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday.

According to a new official tally, 2,387 people have been killed in Lebanon in six weeks of war.

This article has been published automatically. Sources: ats / afp