What has Trump said about the Iran deal?published at 18:12 BST
Carrie Davies
Reporting from Islamabad
Image source, Bloomberg via Getty ImagesSocial media has played a major role for both sides during this conflict. First, let’s look at the posts from President Trump.
Trump has used his platform Truth Social to issue threats, hurl insults, write announcements and make positive noises about a deal, sometimes all in the same message.
12 April - After Vice-President Vance left Islamabad without a deal on 12 April, the president said that "the meeting went well, most points were agreed to", apart from on nuclear weapons - "the only point that really mattered".
As a result, he said the US would begin a blockade. Any Iranian vessel that fires on the US he said would be "BLOWN TO HELL!" and the US was "LOCKED AND LOADED".
As the week continued, the president added to his criticism of Iran. But the optimism for a deal continued.
17 April - Trump said Iran had announced the Strait of Hormuz was "FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE”.
By later that day, he had posted that “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World!” But two days later, that changed.
19 April - “Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!” The president posted on 19 April, saying that Iran had announced they were closing the strait
“We are offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
Image source, ReutersAt the start of April, a US strike hit Iran's B1 bridge - a recently-constructed overpass that connected the city of Karaj to the capital Tehran
He also announced that his delegation would be in Islamabad on Monday night. By Tuesday afternoon in Islamabad, no delegation has yet arrived. Yet the president has continued to sound optimistic about a deal.
It’s difficult to know how this series of carrots, sticks, self-praise and insults will be read by the Iranian delegation; negotiators from their side too have posted rebukes and their positions online and there will be some recognition that both the US and Iran will be often thinking of their own domestic audiences in their public messages.
Yet there is little trust between the two sides with a risk of miscalculation.
Rarely has such delicate diplomacy been conducted with the backdrop of such instantaneous and volatile public messaging.












