‘Don’t care if they come back’: Donald Trump reacts after Iran talks fail

Donald Trump on Monday brushed aside concerns over stalled diplomacy with Iran, saying he is unconcerned whether Tehran returns to negotiations after ceasefire talks collapsed in Islamabad.

“I don’t care if they come back or not. If they don’t come back, I am fine,” Trump said after arriving at Joint Base Andrews from Florida. The remarks followed a weekend of high-level talks that failed to yield progress, dealing a blow to efforts aimed at easing tensions in the region.

Trump also accused Iran of continuing to pursue nuclear weapons. “They still want it, and they made that clear the other night. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” he asserted, reinforcing Washington’s uncompromising stance. Even before the talks concluded, Trump had downplayed their outcome. “Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t—it doesn’t matter. From the standpoint of America, we win,” he said outside the White House.

The US delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, maintained that any agreement would depend on firm assurances from Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. “We need an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon or the capability to quickly develop one,” Vance said.

Iran’s team, headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, engaged in discussions aimed at sustaining a fragile ceasefire already under pressure from ongoing Israeli strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Despite the deadlock, Iran’s leadership indicated it remains open to a “balanced and fair” agreement.

The breakdown has heightened uncertainty in the region, with hopes of stabilising energy flows through the vital Strait of Hormuz fading, even as questions grow over whether the US could resume military action against Iran.