President Donald Trump said Friday that American naval forces are being restocked with advanced weaponry as a precaution in case negotiations with Iran collapse, signaling readiness to resume military action if diplomacy fails.

In remarks to The New York Post, Trump indicated that the United States is preparing for all outcomes as senior officials head to Pakistan for critical talks aimed at solidifying a lasting agreement following a temporary cease-fire reached earlier this week.

The comments came shortly after Vice President JD Vance departed aboard Air Force Two for Islamabad. He is expected to meet with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who will join him in efforts to secure a permanent resolution after the two-week pause in hostilities.

“We’re going to find out in about 24 hours. We’re going to know soon,” Trump said in a phone interview when asked if he thought the talks would be successful.

Trump emphasized that military preparations are already underway in the event the negotiations fall apart.

“We have a reset going. We’re loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made — even better than what we did previously, and we blew them apart,” he said.

He continued by underscoring the scale of the buildup and its intended purpose.

“But we’re loading up the ships. We’re loading up the ships with the best weapons ever made, even at a higher level than we used to do a complete decimation.

“And if we don’t have a deal, we will be using them, and we will be using them very effectively.”

Iran’s delegation in Islamabad is expected to include Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, both of whom have previously insisted that Tehran maintains a fundamental right to uranium enrichment.

Trump voiced skepticism about Iran’s reliability in negotiations, suggesting inconsistencies between private assurances and public statements.

“You’re dealing against people that we don’t know whether or not they tell the truth,” Trump told The Post.

“To our face, they’re getting rid of all nuclear weapons, everything’s gone. And then they go out to the press and say, ‘No, we’d like to enrich.’ So we’ll find out.”

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett expressed cautious optimism about the diplomatic effort, noting that senior officials are leading the charge while contingency plans remain in place.

“We’re very, very hopeful” about the negotiations.

“We’ve got the A team going to Pakistan to negotiate with the Iranians. And we also have backup plans if necessary,” he said.

Retired Gen. Jack Keane also weighed in, stating that the U.S. military is fully capable of securing vital waterways if tensions escalate, and that Trump is unlikely to accept any agreement he views as insufficient.

“I know our forces can open up that Strait and protect the ships going through it,” Keane told Fox News. “People are hand-wringing about a drone here and a missile there … They don’t understand the plan and the details of the plan.

“The United States military can secure defined space that’s moving through the straits — put an absolute air cap and air bubble around all of that and make certain that anything that tries to penetrate it is going to be defeated.”

Negotiators are expected to focus heavily on U.S. demands that Iran surrender roughly 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium stored in fortified locations and fully restore access to the Strait of Hormuz for global shipping.

Trump has repeatedly stressed that reopening the strategic waterway without restriction is essential for any agreement, particularly as maritime traffic has dwindled following recent U.S. strikes.

Additional issues on the table include halting Iran’s backing of regional proxy groups, addressing its ballistic missile capabilities, and Tehran’s push for relief from American sanctions.

{Matzav.com}