US Vice President JD Vance meets with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during their meeting on 11 April at Islamabad, Pakistan. The proposed meeting marks a rare direct engagement between senior US and Iranian officials, as Washington and Tehran seek to advance stalled negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme.

• Trump claims the US is in a “very strong negotiating position” as VP JD Vance prepares for a second round of talks with Iran in Pakistan.
• The US is demanding Iran give up its uranium stockpile and stop controlling the Hormuz waterway.
• Trump revealed the US intercepted a Chinese ship carrying military supplies to Iran as a “gift,” contradicting President Xi Jinping’s previous assurance that China would not deliver weapons to Iran.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States is in a strong position for talks with Iran as his envoys prepared to hold a second round of negotiations in Pakistan.

“We’re going to end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice...We’re in a very, very strong negotiating position,” Trump told broadcaster CNBC.

A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance was expected to leave shortly from Washington for Islamabad, which earlier this month hosted a first round of talks, ending without progress.

Trump is demanding Iran give up its uranium stockpile and end attempts to control the strategic Hormuz waterway used to transport Middle East oil and other commodities.

Despite being hit by weeks of US and Israeli bombing before a temporary ceasefire was declared, Iran has so far refused those conditions. The ceasefire was due to expire late Wednesday in Washington, according to the White House.

READ | Why is Pakistan involved in efforts to stop the war in Iran?

Trump was unclear in the interview with CNBC about whether he would extend the ceasefire if there is no progress in Pakistan.

“Iran can get themselves on a very good footing if they make a deal,” he said.

Asked if he would carry out his previous threats to bomb Iran’s bridges and power plants - something many analysts say could constitute war crimes - Trump said “it’s not my choice but it will also hurt them.”

He said the United States had intercepted a ship carrying a “gift” to Iran from China as Tehran tries to restock its military during the ceasefire.

READ | US-Iran ‘talks are on track’, but Trump vows: ‘They will not have a nuclear weapon’

The ship had “a gift from China” which “wasn’t very nice,” Trump told CNBC. “I was a little surprised,” he added, saying he thought he had an “understanding” with China’s President Xi Jinping.

A week ago, Trump announced that Xi had assured him there would be no Chinese weapons deliveries to Iran, a close partner with Beijing for years.