Washington, April 12
The United States is engaged in high-level, face-to-face trilateral talks with Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad, even as President Donald Trump asserted that Washington had already secured a strategic victory regardless of the outcome.
The meeting in Islamabad stretched over for "15 hours and counting!" according to a senior White House official when last reported several hours ago.
The official said the talks involve a core US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside Jared Kushner and a broader team of national security and regional experts.
The wider delegation includes Dr. Andrew Baker, Deputy National Security Advisor to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President, and Michael Vance, Special Advisor to the Vice President for Asian Affairs. Additional subject-matter experts are supporting the effort from Washington.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump offered a blunt assessment of the negotiations and the broader strategic landscape.
"Regardless what happens, we win. We totally defeated that country. And so let's see what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don't. From the standpoint of America, we win," he said.
The president linked the negotiations to broader economic and energy developments, pointing to increased tanker activity.
"One of the things that's happening is that boats are sailing up and heading out to our country, big, beautiful tankers and we're loading them up with oil and gas and everything else. And it's pretty beautiful thing to see," he added.
Trump also described the talks as part of a wider strategic posture involving both military and diplomatic elements.
"We are in very deep negotiations with Iran. We win regardless. We've defeated them militarily," he said.
The president claimed extensive damage to Iran's military capabilities, asserting that its naval and air assets had been neutralised.
"We defeated their navy, we defeated their air force, we defeated their anti-aircraft. We defeated their radar," Trump said, adding that "their leaders are all dead."
He also referenced ongoing efforts to secure maritime routes, saying US forces were working to clear potential threats.
"We have mine sweepers out there... sweeping the strait," he said.
Despite the strong rhetoric, Trump indicated that a negotiated outcome remained uncertain and not essential from Washington's perspective.
"Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me," he said.
- IANS
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