Trump Says US Position is Very Strong Ahead of Further Negotiations with Iran
US President Donald Trump has stated that his country is in a strong position ahead of the second round of talks with Iran. The follow-up negotiations are scheduled to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan, in the near future.
“We will get a great deal. I think they have no choice… We are in a very, very strong negotiating position,” Trump told CNBC broadcaster, as reported by AFP on Tuesday (21/4/2026).
The US delegation is said to be led by Vice President JD Vance. However, there has been no official confirmation yet regarding the departure of the group from Washington.
These talks are a continuation of the first meeting held earlier this month in Pakistan, which ended without any significant agreement.
In those negotiations, Trump demanded that Iran surrender its uranium reserves and cease efforts to control the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route for global oil and commodity shipments. However, Iran reportedly rejected those conditions.
Meanwhile, the ceasefire between Iran, the United States, and Israel, which has been in effect since 8 April, is scheduled to end on Wednesday evening Washington time, according to the White House.
In a social media post, Trump told Iran that they could improve their chances of success in peace talks with the United States by freeing eight women facing the death penalty.
“I would greatly appreciate the release of these women,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“It would be a good start to our negotiations!” Trump added.
Trump’s statement was accompanied by a repost of a claim on X by a young pro-Israel activist in the United States, Eyal Yakob, who stated that eight women face the death penalty by hanging. Yakob posted photos of the eight women but did not mention their names.
AFP could not verify the claims about most of these women. However, the photo of one woman in the post is identical to an image published on 13 April by the Norway-based human rights group Hengaw, which is a photo of Bita Hemmati, who could become the first woman executed in connection with protest actions in Iran.
Iran has carried out several executions of people linked to the anti-government protests in January, which activists say were crushed in a brutal crackdown that resulted in thousands killed and tens of thousands arrested.
Trump did not clearly explain in his CNBC interview whether he would extend the ceasefire if there is no progress in Pakistan.
“Iran can be in a very good position if they make a deal,” he said.