US President Donald Trump said he does not want to extend the temporary ceasefire with Iran, which expires on April 22, as Washington waits to see if talks with Tehran will take place.
Speaking in a phone interview with CNBC on April 21, Trump said the United States is in a strong negotiating position and will reach what he called a "great deal" when the two sides meet.
The talks were expected to be held on April 21, but Iran has yet to officially say whether it will participate. US Vice President JD Vance is said to be set to leave Washington “soon,” according to officials, although there is no exact time for his departure.
Asked by CNBC whether he would extend the current two-week ceasefire, which is ending, Trump said: "I don't want to do that. We don't have that much time."
He also warned that "I expect there to be bombings, because I think this is a better approach to entering the process."
Pakistan, which has been a mediator in the peace process, has called on both the United States and Iran to extend the ceasefire, but reports from some media outlets say Tehran is considering its options while waiting to see whether the Islamic Republic's conditions, including lifting the US military blockade of Iranian ports and recognizing its right to enrich uranium, are met.
Iran has blocked access to the Strait of Hormuz, which controls entry to the Persian Gulf, to all ships except Iranian ones or those that Tehran approves for passage.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is Iran's chief negotiator, wrote on X on the evening of April 20 that Tehran is "prepared to reveal new cards" in the war with the US and Israel, accusing Trump of "setting up a siege and violating the ceasefire" as he tries to turn the negotiations into a "surrender or justify the resumption of the war."
Trump has threatened to restart the war and attack Iranian civilian infrastructure, such as bridges and power plants, if Tehran does not accept his terms.
The first round of talks in Islamabad on April 11–12 failed to produce an agreement to end the war, which began on February 28 after the US and Israel struck targets across Iran.
Tensions in the region remain high, as cargo ships are piling up in the Persian Gulf due to the blockade, which Trump has said will not be lifted until a peace deal is signed.
While maritime traffic is almost completely halted, several ships are reported to have passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
Data from ship tracking platform MarineTraffic showed that a ship called the Ean Spir, whose ownership is unknown, passed through this waterway on April 21, having previously docked at an Iraqi port.
Another ship, also without specified ownership, called the Lian Star, also appears to have sailed through the strait, according to the data.
The number of ships that typically pass through the strait, through which about 20 percent of global seaborne oil and gas shipments pass, is about 140, according to shipping analysts./Radio Free Europe
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