US President Donald Trump has indicated that the current ceasefire with Iran is unlikely to be prolonged beyond Wednesday evening unless a broader agreement is reached.
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Speaking in a phone interview with Bloomberg on Monday, Trump said he was “highly unlikely” to extend the truce if negotiations fail to produce a deal before the deadline. The ceasefire, announced on 7 April, is set to expire on Wednesday evening Washington time.
The truce was declared after Trump warned he could authorise strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure and cautioned that a conflict could lead to the destruction of “a whole civilization” in Iran.
Talks planned in Pakistan
The remarks come as US officials prepare for a second round of diplomatic talks with Iran scheduled to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan, later this week.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Sunday that Vice-President JD Vance would head the American delegation. He is expected to be joined by US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a senior adviser.
The White House has not yet confirmed when Vance will depart Washington for the talks. The meeting in Islamabad follows earlier discussions aimed at easing tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Trump rejects pressure claims
Trump said he was not facing pressure to secure a quick agreement with Iran and insisted he would not rush negotiations.
Writing on his Truth Social platform on Monday, the president said he was under “no pressure whatsoever,” adding that the United States had ample time to resolve longstanding tensions with Tehran.
He also argued that previous administrations had failed to address the issue effectively over the past decades. During the Bloomberg interview, Trump reiterated that he would not be “rushed into making a bad deal” with Iran.
The president has repeatedly demanded that Iran abandon its nuclear programme as part of any settlement.
Strait of Hormuz blockade continues
Trump also confirmed that a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would remain in place until an agreement is signed.
The blockade began on 13 April. US Central Command (Centcom) said on Sunday that American naval forces intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that attempted to bypass the restrictions after what it described as multiple warnings.
Centcom added that since the start of the blockade, US forces had ordered 25 commercial vessels to turn back or return to Iranian ports.
Iran has criticised the move. Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, told reporters on Monday that the interception of the cargo vessel violated the ceasefire. He also said Tehran currently has “no plans” for another round of negotiations with Washington.
Despite the tensions, Trump signalled that the US was prepared to maintain pressure in the waterway, one of the world’s most important shipping routes for oil and gas.
“If I have to,” he told Bloomberg, referring to enforcement of the blockade, “I’ll take five other ships today.”
The ceasefire deadline and the upcoming talks in Pakistan now appear central to determining whether the fragile pause in hostilities will hold or whether tensions between the United States and Iran will escalate again.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 21 April 2026
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