Iran suspects trick in Trump's peace talk push

Iranian officials have told the countries trying to mediate peace talks with the U.S. that they have now been tricked twice by President Trump and "we don't want to be fooled again," Axios reports, citing a source with direct knowledge of those discussions.

The U.S. is pushing for in-person peace talks as soon as Thursday in Islamabad, Pakistan. But during the two previous rounds of U.S.-Iran talks, Trump green lit crippling surprise attacks while still claiming to be seeking a deal.

Israel attacked Iran with Trump's backing last June, days before a planned round of nuclear talks.

Then three weeks ago, the U.S. and Iran reached a tentative agreement in Geneva to continue talks the following week — two days before the U.S. and Israel attacked.

Iranian officials have told the mediators — Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey — that U.S. military movements and Trump's decision to deploy major troop reinforcements have increased their suspicion that his proposal for peace talks is just a ruse.

To the Trump administration, the massing of forces is a sign he's serious about negotiating from gunboats, not that he's negotiating in bad faith. "Trump has a hand open for a deal and the other is a fist, waiting to punch you in the f***ing face," said a Trump adviser.

The White House has sent messages to the Iranians that Trump is serious about the negotiations, and floated Vice President JD Vance's possible involvement in the talks as proof.

Two sources said Witkoff recommended Vance because of the stature of his office and because the Iranians don't see him as a hawk.  

On Tuesday, Trump revealed to reporters an apparent trust-building effort with the Iranians.

"They did something yesterday that was amazing actually. They gave us a present and the present arrived today. It was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money," Trump said.

Offering no specifics, Trump said the Iranian "gift" was "oil and gas-related" and connected to the "flow" in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump contended that showed the U.S. was dealing with the right people in Tehran. "They said they were going to do it and it happened, and they are the only ones that could have done it."

Yes, but: Trump is simultaneously trying to build up options for diplomacy and military escalation in order to be able to decide based on developments, U.S. and Israeli officials say.

Those officials say another two to three weeks of war is planned even if talks do take place.

Trump told Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday to keep up the military pressure on Iran, a White House official said.

"We negotiate with bombs," Hegseth told reporters in the Oval Office shortly thereafter.