Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran has not abandoned negotiations with Washington despite talks ending without a final agreement, predicting that Tehran would eventually return to the negotiating table and accept U.S. demands.
Speaking during a phone interview on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News, Trump said he expects Iran to make major concessions.
“I predict they will come back and give us everything we want,” he said. “I told my people I want everything — not 90 per cent, not 95 per cent.”
The U.S. president also repeated warnings that Washington could target Iran’s civilian energy infrastructure if diplomacy fails to resolve tensions in the Middle East. Trump claimed the United States could disable Iran’s power generation facilities in a single day.
“I could take out Iran in one day — their energy, their electric generating plants, everything,” he said.
Islamabad talks end without breakthrough
Negotiations between U.S. and Iranian delegations concluded in Islamabad after nearly 20 hours of discussions mediated by Pakistan.
The Iranian delegation was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, while the U.S. side was headed by Vice President JD Vance. The talks began Saturday afternoon and included three rounds of discussions, with experts from both sides exchanging written proposals.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday, Vance acknowledged that the talks failed to produce a breakthrough.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to make any headway,” he said.
Ghalibaf later said it was now up to Washington to prove it could gain Tehran’s trust. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the sides reached “understandings” on several issues but remained far apart on two or three critical matters, including Iran’s nuclear programme.
Nuclear issue remains key obstacle
In a lengthy statement on Truth Social, Trump described the Islamabad meeting as generally positive but said the most important issue — Iran’s nuclear ambitions — remained unresolved.
He said he had been fully briefed on the talks by Vice President Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner.
Trump also praised Pakistan’s leadership, including army chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, for facilitating the discussions.
Despite the cordial atmosphere during negotiations, Trump said Iranian officials — including Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and diplomat Ali Bagheri — remained firm on their position regarding the nuclear issue.
He reiterated Washington’s stance that Iran would “never have a nuclear weapon.”
Threat of blockade in Strait of Hormuz
Trump also announced that the United States Navy would begin steps toward blockading vessels entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Iran of threatening maritime traffic.
The vital shipping lane has faced disruptions since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28.
Trump said U.S. forces had been instructed to intercept ships that had allegedly paid what he called “illegal tolls” to Iran.
He warned of severe retaliation if Iranian forces targeted U.S. or commercial vessels.
“Any Iranian who fires at us or peaceful vessels will be blown to hell,” Trump said, adding that Iran knows how to bring the crisis to an end.
He also suggested that other countries could join the proposed maritime blockade while reiterating that Iran would not be allowed to exploit international waterways.