U.S. President Donald Trump said he is "very optimistic" about the peace talks with Iran to be held on the 11th local time. Trump also said Israel would exercise restraint regarding its attacks on Lebanon, which Iran has taken issue with.
In a phone interview released on the 9th with NBC in the United States, President Trump said, "Iran's leaders are much more reasonable at the negotiating table than what they say to the media," adding, "They are agreeing to almost everything they need to agree to." He continued, "Remember, they were conquered. In effect, they don't even have a military," and warned, "If they don't agree, it will be very painful." It is seen as an attempt to boost negotiating leverage by pairing optimism with threats.
The United States and Iran dramatically agreed to a two-week cease-fire on the 7th and decided to hold peace talks during this period. The first meeting will be held on the 11th in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. From the U.S. side, Vice President JD Vance will serve as chief representative, and from the Iranian side, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will lead the delegation.
However, there are assessments that the talks are a "tightrope" from the start. Even after the cease-fire, Iran has protested that Israel's continued attacks on Hezbollah, a pro-Iran armed faction in Lebanon, are a violation of the truce. As a result, it is not fully opening ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key condition.
Russia's TASS news agency reported, citing a senior Iranian source, that Iran is reviewing a plan to limit the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to 15 or fewer per day.
Ultimately, Israel's ongoing military operations in Lebanon have emerged as the biggest variable in the talks. Regarding this, President Trump said, "Israel is scaling back its operations." Referring to a call the previous day with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said, "He will exercise restraint," adding, "We need to be more restrained."
In fact, Netanyahu said in a statement that day that he would enter into direct talks aimed at disarming Hezbollah and normalizing relations with the Lebanese government.