"Locked And Loaded": Trump Turns Up Heat On Iran After Talks Fail In Pak

US President Donald Trump declared today that the US military will "finish the little that is left of Iran" after high-level peace talks between the two countries collapsed without agreement. The negotiations, held in Pakistan and described as the highest-level meeting between the United States and Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, ended on Sunday without a deal to end the war in the Middle East. 

There was no immediate resumption of hostilities, but world leaders moved quickly to urge both sides to stick to the existing temporary truce and pursue further diplomacy.

US Vice President JD Vance departed Pakistan after the talks and stated that Washington had presented Tehran with its "final and best offer". 

Hormuz Warning, And A Breakdown Of Talks

In two separate Truth Social posts issued after the negotiations in Islamabad concluded, Trump said the discussions had lasted close to 20 hours and that most points had been agreed upon. The sole exception, he said, was the nuclear question. Effective immediately, he said, the United States Navy -- which he described as the finest in the world -- would begin the process of blockading any and all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz. 

"So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not. Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote. 

Trump said he had been fully debriefed by Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner on the meeting, which was hosted by Pakistan's leadership. He described Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as "very extraordinary men". The US President said the meeting began early in the morning and continued throughout the night. He added that he could go into great detail about the points that had been secured but that none of them mattered in comparison with the nuclear issue.

The Nuclear Dilemma 

"There is only one thing that matters - IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS," Trump wrote.

"In many ways, the points that were agreed to are better than us continuing our Military Operations to conclusion," he wrote, "but all of those points don't matter compared to allowing Nuclear Power to be in the hands of such volatile, difficult, unpredictable people," he added. 

Trump stated that his three representatives had become "very friendly and respectful" of their Iranian counterparts -- Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi and Ali Bagheri -- during the long session. That personal rapport, he said, did not change the fundamental position. "Iran will never have a Nuclear Weapon," he declared. 

The aim, he explained, was to reach an "ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT" basis, but Iran had not permitted this by claiming "There may be a mine out there somewhere" that nobody else knew about.

'Lock And Loaded'

Trump called the situation "WORLD EXTORTION" and stated that leaders of countries, especially the United States, would never be extorted. He said he had instructed the Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran. "No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," he wrote. American forces would also begin destroying the mines the Iranians had laid in the strait. He warned that any Iranian who fired at US forces or at peaceful vessels would be "BLOWN TO HELL".

Iran, he said, knew better than anyone how to end the situation that had already devastated the country. Its navy was gone, its air force was gone, its anti-aircraft systems and radar were useless, and Khomeini and most of its leaders were dead -- all because of its nuclear ambition, the US President claimed. 

"The Blockade will begin shortly," Trump stated. "Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION. They want money and, more importantly, they want Nuclear." 

He added that the US military was fully "LOCKED AND LOADED" and would finish up the little that is left of Iran.In a separate section of his remarks, Trump returned to Iran's failure to honour what he said was a promise to open the Strait of Hormuz. 

"Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, and they knowingly failed to do so," he wrote. "This caused anxiety, dislocation, and pain to many people and Countries throughout the World." He noted that Tehran claimed to have put mines in the water even though its navy and most of its "mine droppers" had been completely destroyed. Ship owners, he said, would not want to take the chance. The episode had brought "great dishonor and permanent harm to the reputation of Iran, and what's left of their 'Leaders'", but the United States was "beyond all of that".

He demanded that Iran, as it had promised, "begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST". Every law in the book, he claimed, was being violated by Tehran.

The Failed Talks

The statements came after the talks in Pakistan -- the highest-level meeting between the United States and Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution -- broke up without a deal. Vance left Islamabad and told reporters that Washington had made Tehran its "final and best offer". No members of the US negotiating team remained behind, including the chief negotiators Witkoff and Kushner. 

Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who took part in the talks, said his side had put forward constructive initiatives but that the other side had been unable to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation. Reports from both sides indicated that the two sides could not agree on control of the Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes or on whether Tehran would retain the right to enrich uranium under any future arrangement.

The failure of the negotiations has raised immediate concerns about a possible return to full-scale fighting. World leaders have urged both sides to respect the existing temporary truce and to pursue further diplomacy. 

Pakistan, which hosted the talks, said it would continue to facilitate dialogue. Its Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said it was imperative that the parties uphold their commitment to the ceasefire. 

Saudi Arabia reported that its key east-west oil pipeline was back in service after earlier damage. 

Qatar said it was lifting some restrictions on Gulf shipping.