Trump Sending Negotiators Back to Iran Talks

American negotiators are heading back to Pakistan as a ceasefire in the US-Iran war nears its expiration and tensions spike in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump said Sunday that a US delegation would arrive in Islamabad by Monday evening for a second round of talks mediated by Pakistan, reports NBC News. In a Truth Social post, Trump chastised Iran for firing on ships in the strait on Saturday in "total violation of our ceasefire agreement." Iran did so after reversing an earlier decision to open the waterway back up to commercial shipping.

"We're offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don't, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran," Trump wrote. "It's time for the Iran killing machine to end," he added in all-caps. Among other things, Washington is demanding an end to Iran's uranium enrichment and the removal of highly enriched stockpiles, per the New York Times. Iran says its forces are prepared to resume fighting if talks collapse, as both sides maintain dueling blockades at sea. The ceasefire ends on Wednesday. One key problem in all this: a growing rift between Iran's diplomats and its hard-liners.