Diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran to resolve the Middle East conflict could soon resume in Pakistan, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday.
Speaking to ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, Trump expressed optimism, stating that he didn’t believe it would be necessary to extend the two-week ceasefire, which is set to end on April 21.
“I think you're going to be watching an amazing two days ahead,” the President said.
Trump expressed hope that the negotiations would lead to a deal that would allow Iran to rebuild the country, although he acknowledged that the outcome could go either way. “They really do have a different regime now. No matter what, we took out the radicals,” Trump said, as quoted by Karl in a post on X.
On April 13, CNN had reported that Washington was considering scheduling another in-person meeting with Iran before the current ceasefire period expires. US officials were reviewing potential dates, locations, and regional mediators for the next round of talks.
The initial negotiations, held in Islamabad on April 12, ended without an agreement, primarily due to disagreements over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Despite this, Trump remained optimistic, stating that the war with Iran is “close to over”. In a separate interview with Fox News, he said, “If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take Tehran 20 years to rebuild the country.”
His optimistic remarks seemed to also influence global markets. India’s benchmark stock indices, Sensex and Nifty, surged nearly 1% on Wednesday, as crude oil prices fell below the USD 100 per barrel mark, fueled by hopes of renewed diplomatic engagement between the US and Iran.
