US President Donald Trump said he does not want to extend a temporary cease-fire with Iran, which is due to expire on April 22, as Washington waits to see if talks with Tehran will proceed.
Speaking in a live phone interview with CNBC on April 21, Trump said the United States was in a strong negotiating position and would end up with what he called a “great deal” when the two sides finally meet.
Talks were expected to be held on April 21 but Iran has yet to say officially it would participate. US Vice President JD Vance is said to be ready to depart Washington “soon,” according to officials, though there was no exact timing for his departure.
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When asked by CNBC if he would extend the current two-week cease-fire that is about to end, Trump said: “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time.”
He also warned that “I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with.”
Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator in the peace process, urged both the United States and Iran to extend their truce, but reports from several media outlets say Tehran is weighing its options while waiting to see if its conditions, including an end to the US military’s blockade of Iranian ports, and a recognition of its right to enrich uranium, would be met.
Iran has blocked access to the Strait of Hormuz that controls access to the Gulf to all ships but its own or those Tehran approves for transit.
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is also Iran’s lead negotiator,wrote on Xlate on April 20 that Tehran is “prepared to reveal new cards” in the war with the United States and Israel, accusing Trump of “imposing a siege and violating the cease-fire” as he tries to turn the negotiations into a “surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.”
Trump has threatened to restart the war and attack Iranian civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants unless Tehran accepts his terms.
The first round of talks in Islamabad on April 11-12 failed to produce an agreement for a full end to the war, which began on February 28 when US and Israeli air strikes pummeled targets across Iran.
Tensions in the region remain high while cargo ships pile up in the Persian Gulf due to the blockade. Trump has said it will not be lifted until a peace deal is signed.
While shipping traffic has ground more or less to a halt, some ships have reportedly passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
Map: Strait of Hormuz (no title)
Data from the MarineTraffic ship-tracking platform showed that a vessel named the Ean Spir, which had no known flag or known ownership, passed through the waterway on April 21 after previously docking at an Iraqi port.
A second unflagged ship, the Lian Star, also appeared from the data to have sailed through the strait.
The number of ships that usually pass through the strait, which handles about 20 percent of global oil and gas water transit, is around 140, according to shipping analysts.
With reporting by Reuters
Trump Says He Won’t Extend Cease-Fire As Iran Peace Talks Up In Air
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