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US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth warned Iran to “make a good, wise deal” ahead of a second round of peace talks between Washington and Iran which could resume in Pakistan on Friday night.
Echoing US President Donald Trump’s comments on Thursday, Hegseth said Washington was not “anxious” to reach a peace deal, adding, “We have all the time in the world.”
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the US blockade of Iranian shipping will continue “as long as it takes” to accomplish Washington’s “bold and dangerous” mission to end Tehran’s threat to global security.
US officials say that so far the blockade has turned back 34 ships, but ship-tracking data shows Iran has still been able to move some of its sanctioned oil.
Lloyd’s List Intelligence said “a steady flow of shadow fleet traffic” has passed in and out of the Persian Gulf, including 11 tankers with Iranian cargo that have left the Gulf of Oman outside the strait since 13 April.
Hegseth also rebuked US allies in Europe for “freeriding” by not using their own forces to open the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed since the Iran war started on 28 February.
“We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do,” Hegseth insisted.
He mocked a recent European summit in Cyprus, saying US allies “might want to start doing less talking” instead of holding “a silly conference.”
Iran’s manoeuvre to choke off the strait has disrupted global energy supplies, especially in Europe, and sent energy prices skyrocketing worldwide.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that the US could not complain about a lack of support “in an operation they chose to undertake alone.”
High security in Islamabad
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday night, an official source in Pakistan said, without providing details about who he was likely to meet.
Pakistan’s capital has been gearing up for an anticipated second round of talks between the two sides, but it remained unclear whether Araghchi and his delegation would meet any US officials to discuss the Iran war.
Islamabad had a heavy security presence on Friday, with checkpoints around the city and road closures in the “red zone” surrounding the expected negotiation venue.
Pakistan has emerged as the lead mediator in efforts to end the war, but following a marathon first session of talks on 11 April, Tehran has so far declined to send a delegation to Islamabad for a second round.
It was not clear whether US Vice President JD Vance or other senior US administration officials were set to return to Pakistan, weeks after he announced he was leaving without a deal.
US logistics and security teams are present in Islamabad, the Pakistani official source said.
On Friday, Iran confirmed that Araghchi had held phone calls with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, both of whom played key roles in earlier mediation.
Additional sources • AFP