U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran "has no cards" except using international waterways for "short-term blackmail." This statement, made on social media, comes shortly before planned talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad on April 11. As U.S. Vice President JD Vance headed to Islamabad to lead the American delegation in these talks, Trump suggested Tehran has few options besides negotiation. "It seems the Iranians don’t understand that they have no cards, except short-term blackmail of the world by using international waterways," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on April 10, likely referring to the Strait of Hormuz. "The only reason they are still alive today is to negotiate!" Trump has accused Iran of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement reached on April 7, imposing restrictions on maritime transport through the strait, a key artery for oil and gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. Approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas passes through this sea route. Trump’s Truth Social post came not long after Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who will be part of Iran’s delegation, wrote on X that "a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets… must be fulfilled before negotiations begin." Meanwhile, Trump earlier told the New York Post that the U.S. is preparing warships with weaponry, suggesting he would strike Iran if talks fail. "We are arming the ships with the best weapons ever produced… And if we don’t have a deal, we will use them, we will use them very effectively." Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Vance has departed Washington for Pakistan for the first talks since the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran began on February 28. He said he expects "positive" negotiations even though passage through the Strait of Hormuz faces obstacles and Israel’s bombings of Lebanon continue. "We eagerly await the negotiations. I think they will be positive," he said, leaving open the possibility of a tougher approach. "If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly ready to extend the hand of cooperation. If they try to manipulate us, then they will understand that the negotiating team will not be so open." He added that President Trump "has given us some very clear instructions, so we will see." Vance will lead the American delegation alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Iran has sent Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who has been very vocal in anti-U.S. statements in recent weeks. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the talks are "now or never," some media reported. The parties are expected to communicate indirectly through Pakistani officials rather than holding face-to-face meetings. Pakistan announced a two-day official holiday in the capital ahead of the talks, as authorities typically do for major diplomatic events for security reasons. The Serena Hotel in the fortified zone of Islamabad, where over 10,000 police, paramilitary forces, rangers, and military personnel are deployed, was cleared of guests on April 8 in preparation for these talks.