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President Donald Trump said he isn't interested in extending a ceasefire agreement with Iran if a deal isn't met by Wednesday's (April 22) deadline and said he expected "to be bombing" while speaking to CNBC's Squawk Box on Tuesday (April 21).
“Well, I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” Trump responded when asked if he would extend the ceasefire to allow more time for negotiations. “They have to negotiate. And, you know, the one thing I’ll say is this: Iran can get themselves at a very good footing. If they make a deal, they can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again.
“They’re led by some very, very, unfortunately tough people. And I don’t mean tough in a good way. I think it’s very negative for the country.”
The president then said he's prepared to resume attacking Iran if a deal isn't reached before Wednesday's deadline.
“I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with,” he added.
Trump had previously said it was "highly unlikely that I'd extend" the ceasefire with Iran past the deadline of "Wednesday evening Washington time" in a phone interview with Bloomberg on Monday (April 20).
“I’m not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. We’ve got all the time in the world,” Trump said.
The president then responded, “If there’s no deal, I would certainly expect," when asked if fighting would resume immediately if an agreement isn't reached. Trump had confirmed to the New York Post on Monday that his envoy of Vice President JD Vance and the U.S. delegation were expected to land in Pakistan within hours to resume peace talks with Iran.
“We’re supposed to have the talks,” Trump said. “So I would assume at this point nobody’s playing games.”
The U.S. delegation, which includes Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, was later confirmed to have landed in Islamabad to resume negotiations on Monday.
The president had previously claimed that negotiations with Iran would resume on Monday before later announcing that the USS Spruance destroyer intercepted Iran's Touska cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman after the Tehran vessel refused the Americans' warnings to stop. A spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters said it would take "necessary action" after the incident in the Arabian Sea on Sunday (April 19) but would first ensure the safety of the crew and family members on board in comments carried by the semi-official Fars news agency via NBC News.
The spokesperson said Iran was ready for a "decisive response" to what it described as "blatant aggression" by the American military, however, was concerned about the family members of the ship's personnel and claimed it was “constrained in order to preserve their lives and security which were in danger at any moment.”
"The powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will carry out the necessary action against the American terrorist army,” the spokesperson said, once officials could ensure the safety of the families and personnel.
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon was reached on Thursday (April 16) and went into place on Friday (April 17). Iran had initially claimed that Lebanon was included in its ceasefire with the U.S. before Israel launched attacks on Hezbollah.
The Strait of Hormuz was initially blockaded by Iran in response to the United States and Israel's 'Operation Epic Fury' prior to its ceasefire agreement and most recently due to Israel's failed truce with Lebanon. The blockade has led to gas prices soaring in the United States as the price of oil surpassed $100 per barrel multiple times.
The U.S. military began its own blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas in adherence with Trump's orders last week.