WASHINGTON, United States, April 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has "no cards" in upcoming talks with the United States -- apart from Tehran's effective stranglehold on the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping channel. "The Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways," Trump said on his Truth Social network. Control of the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's crude oil passes, will be at the heart of peace talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan on Saturday. Iran and the United States said the crucial channel would reopen after a two-week truce was announced on Tuesday, but Tehran's threats mean very few ships are passing through. His "no cards" comments about Iran echoed his notorious broadside at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in February when he raged that "you don't have the cards" against Russia.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha April 10, 2026 19:00 UTC