"We do not accept negotiations under threats. Over the past two weeks, we have prepared to deploy new cards on the battlefield", Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament and head of Tehran's peace negotiation delegation, wrote on social media on 20/4.

Ghalibaf accused President Donald Trump of seeking to "turn negotiations into a venue for Iran's surrender or a pretext for the United States to continue the conflict". He also criticized the port blockade Washington imposed as a violation of the ceasefire agreement with Tehran.

Speaker Ghalibaf speaks at a press conference in Tehran in 11/2024. *Photo: Reuters*

Meanwhile, President Trump expressed confidence that Iran would come to the negotiating table, while warning of consequences if they did not. "They will negotiate. If they don't, they will face problems they've never had before", he said on 20/4.

The US president also expressed hope that Iran would achieve a "fair deal and rebuild their country", adding that Tehran "will no longer have nuclear weapons" once this is accomplished.

According to informed sources, US Vice President JD Vance is expected to travel to Pakistan on 21/4 to attend the second round of negotiations with Iran. The likelihood of the event proceeding remains very slim, as both sides have continuously exchanged harsh words.

Iran has not yet confirmed its participation in the negotiations. President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran maintains "a deep historical distrust" of the US government, while criticizing "contradictory, unconstructive signals" from US officials.

Since the conflict erupted on 28/2, the United States and Iran have only conducted one 21-hour negotiation session in Islamabad, failing to reach an agreement, despite ongoing preparations for further dialogue.

According to a US intelligence assessment cited by the *New York Times* last week, Iran still possesses sufficient military capability to threaten maritime operations in the Strait of Hormuz, even though its arms industry has suffered significant damage in the conflict with the United States and Israel.

US officials estimate Iran's long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inventory is approximately 40% of its pre-conflict level. Although warships can intercept these UAVs, they remain a significant threat to commercial vessels. Iran also maintained about one-half of its missile launchers at the time of the ceasefire, later restoring an additional 100 complexes, achieving approximately 60% operational capacity compared to before the conflict.