US 'in very deep negotiations' with Iran, says Trump

The US is "in very deep negotiations" with Iran, President Donald Trump said Saturday, as a delegation led by Vice President JD Vance held hours of talks in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.

"They've been meeting for many hours,” Trump told journalists as he departed the White House. “We'll see what happens. Look, regardless, we win. Regardless of what happens, we win."

Trump's remarks came after the US, Pakistan and Iran began holding trilateral face-to-face meetings Saturday, aimed at ending the broader regional conflict in the Middle East amid a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered earlier this week.

The American delegation includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. It also includes Dr. Andrew Baker, deputy national security advisor to the president and national security advisor to the vice president, and Michael Vance, special advisor to the vice president for Asian affairs.

"So, let's see what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don't. From the standpoint of America, we win. One of the things that's happening is that boats are sailing up and heading out to our country, big, beautiful tankers, and we're loading them up with oil and gas and everything else. It’s a pretty, beautiful thing to see.

"We're going to see what happens. We're in very deep negotiations with Iran. We win regardless," he added.

Trump argued that the US destroyed Iran's Navy, including mine-laying vessels that operated in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway where roughly 20% of the world's oil trade passes.

"Their navy has gone. 158 ships. They have 28 water droppers -- mine droppers, they call them. All of them are sunk. They probably have a couple of mines in the water. We have mine sweepers out there. We're sweeping the Strait (of Hormuz).

"In addition to that, we're negotiating. Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me, because we've won," he said.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said earlier that its forces launched a mission to clear sea mines from the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

"U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began setting conditions for clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, April 11, as two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers conducted operations," it said in a statement.

The USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) transited the Strait of Hormuz and operated in the Gulf "as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps," it added.

On reports that Beijing is preparing to ship weapons to Iran, Trump warned that if it attempted to do so, “China is going to have big problems.”