Trump says ready to meet senior Iranian leaders, delegation reaching Pakistan within hours

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he was ready to meet senior Iranian leaders if progress was made in the upcoming talks in Islamabad.

He said that a US delegation was on its way to Islamabad for talks, Trump told the New York Post on Monday.

“If there is any progress, I am ready to meet senior Iranian leaders,” he said.

He said a US delegation, led by the Vice President JD Vance, was expected to reach Islamabad within hours for negotiations, amid ongoing efforts to revive dialogue with Tehran.

The US president said the delegation was already en route to the Pakistani capital, signalling continued diplomatic engagement despite uncertainty over Iran’s participation in a new round of talks.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials have said that Tehran was positively considering engaging in talks with the United States, but has not yet made a final decision on participating in a second round of talks in Islamabad.

A senior Iranian official said on Monday that Tehran was weighing its options regarding dialogue with Washington, amid ongoing tensions and uncertainty over the next phase of diplomatic engagement.

“No final decision has been made on participation in the second round of talks,” the official said.

The remarks come as mixed signals have emerged from Tehran over whether it will attend further negotiations, following renewd tensions involving the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian officials have repeatedly said conditions must be conducive for meaningful dialogue, while also accusing Washington of actions that undermine diplomatic efforts.

Earlier, Donald Trump told Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir that he would consider his advice on the Strait of Hormuz blockade as a potential obstacle to peace talks with Iran, a Pakistani security source told Reuters on Monday.

The conversation took place during a phone call between the two leaders, the source added, amid heightened diplomatic activity over efforts to stabilise the region and resume negotiations with Tehran.

The call took place after Iran declined an invitation to participate in a second round of high-level talks with the United States, its foreign ministry said on Monday, dealing a setback to efforts aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that conditions were “not conducive” to further dialogue, without providing further details.

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping route, has been at the centre of escalating tensions following naval incidents and competing claims of blockade enforcement between Washington and Tehran.