Trump optimistic about Iran war ceasefire talks, expects Israel to show restraint

[Financial News] President Donald Trump on the 11th (local time) described the ceasefire talks to be held in Pakistan as "very optimistic." He also predicted that Israel would show restraint over its attacks on Lebanon, which Iran has denounced as a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
In a phone interview with the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) on the 9th, Trump discussed the ceasefire talks scheduled for the 11th in Islamabad, Pakistan. The meeting will be the first direct negotiations between the two sides since the Iran war began in February. James David Vance, the U.S. vice president, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, will attend as chief delegates for the United States and Iran, respectively.
In the interview on the 9th, Trump expressed optimism about the talks, saying, "Iranian leaders speak very differently at the negotiating table than they do to the media. They are much more reasonable." He went on, "They are agreeing to everything they need to agree to. Remember, they were defeated. They have no army," and argued, "If they do not agree, it will be very painful for them."
On the 7th, the United States announced that it would observe a two-week ceasefire with Iran and hold talks on ending the war. Iran confirmed this in a statement on the 8th, but on the same day claimed that the ceasefire terms had been broken. Israel, which has been attacking Iran alongside the United States, said in an announcement on the 8th that it would respect Washington’s ceasefire declaration, but insisted that Lebanon was not covered by the truce. Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian armed faction in Lebanon, launched attacks on Israel last month in connection with the Iran war, and the two sides have been engaged in clashes for about a month. On the 8th alone, at least 254 people were killed and more than 1,000 were killed or injured in Lebanon by Israeli airstrikes. In response, Iran accused the United States of violating the ceasefire conditions and again restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
In the interview on the 9th, Trump said that Israel was "scaling back" its operations in Lebanon. He added that he had spoken by phone the previous day with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I spoke with Bibi (Netanyahu’s nickname), and he is going to hold back on that (the attacks on Lebanon)," Trump said, adding, "We think there needs to be more restraint."
Meanwhile, Netanyahu issued a statement on the 9th announcing that he would launch direct negotiations with the Government of Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and establish peaceful relations.
pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter