Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump said it is highly unlikely that he would extend a two-week ceasefire with Iran if a deal is not reached before it ends this week, according to a Bloomberg report. The Strait of Hormuz would remain blocked until a peace agreement is finalized, Trump said in a phone interview.
“They want me to open it. The Iranians desperately want it opened. I’m not opening it until a deal is signed,” he said. Oil prices jumped as Washington maintained its blockade and the US Navy seized an Iranian-flagged ship over the weekend, Xinhua news agency reported.
“I’m not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. We’ve got all the time in the world,” Trump said. He said the truce, which he announced on April 7, will expire on April 22 evening US Eastern Time.
Asked if he expects strikes to resume immediately afterward if no deal is reached, Trump said: “If there’s no deal, I would certainly expect.” In a phone call with PBS News, Trump said that if the ceasefire with Iran expires, “then lots of bombs start going off.” Asked if Iranian negotiators will participate in fresh talks in Islamabad, Trump said: “I don’t know. I mean, they’re supposed to be there. We agreed to be there, although they say we didn’t. But no, it was set up. And we’ll see whether or not it’s there. If they’re not there, that’s fine too.”
He told the New York Post that US Vice President JD Vance is set to head to Pakistan for the second round of negotiations with Iranian officials.
