US president says Iran has \u2018no choice\u2019 but to show up to the negotiations in Pakistan and accept a \u2018great\u2019 deal.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Published On 21 Apr 2026<\/span>21 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n United States President Donald Trump says he opposes extending a ceasefire with Iran that will expire by the end of Wednesday to allow more time for negotiations.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s comment on Tuesday during an interview with CNBC raised the stakes for the round of talks set to take place this week in Pakistan, suggesting that the war could reignite if the parties fail to reach a deal.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n Iran has not publicly committed to attending the negotiations as tensions over Tehran\u2019s closure of the Hormuz Strait and the US blockade on Iranian ports intensify.<\/span><\/p>\n Asked by CNBC whether he would back prolonging the truce to buy more time for the talks to take place, Trump said, \u201cWell, I don\u2019t want to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n The president said Iranian representatives will attend the talks, emphasising that the negotiators don\u2019t have much time to reach an agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cIran can get themselves on a very good footing if they make a deal. They can make themselves into a strong nation again,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Despite the uncertainty over the talks, Trump predicted that Washington and Tehran would reach a \u201cgreat deal\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they have no choice,\u201d he said of the Iranians. \u201cWe\u2019ve taken out their navy. We\u2019ve taken out their air force. We\u2019ve taken out their leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump, who has threatened to bomb Iran\u2019s bridges and power and water stations, said the US military is \u201ctotally loaded up\u201d to resume the war.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not my choice, but it would also hurt them. It would hurt them militarily,\u201d he said of his threat to target civilian infrastructure in Iran. \u201cThey use the bridges for their weapons, for their missile movements.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran has continued to voice defiance against Trump\u2019s rhetoric, saying it will not negotiate under threat.<\/p>\n While the two-week ceasefire has succeeded in halting the fighting, it has been rocked by Israel\u2019s assault on Lebanon and disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Iran has insisted that Lebanon was part of the truce and kept the strait closed to pressure an end to the Israeli bombardment of the country.<\/p>\n Trump, in turn, ordered his own blockade of the waterway with the US military laying a naval siege on ships linked to Iran.<\/p>\n When a ceasefire was announced in Lebanon, Iran announced a reopening of the strait, but Trump said the US blockade would persist. So less than 24 hours later, Tehran said it was closing the strait again.<\/p>\n US forces have seized at least one Iranian-flagged vessel as part of the blockade in what Tehran decried as an act of piracy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United States will bear full responsibility for the consequences of the dangerous escalation, and Iran will use all available means to defend its sovereignty and protect the rights of its citizens,\u201d Iran\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.<\/p>\n The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil prices around the world soaring. The cost of petrol for US consumers has risen by more than 25 percent since the start of the war.<\/p>\n Trump stressed in his interview with CNBC that the US is \u201ctotally\u201d in control of the strategic waterway.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n US president says Iran has \u2018no choice\u2019 but to show up to the negotiations in Pakistan and accept a \u2018great\u2019 deal. Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026 United States President Donald Trump says he opposes extending a ceasefire with Iran that will expire by the end of Wednesday to allow more time for negotiations. 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