U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that it is "highly unlikely" 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 newspaper cited Trump as telling it in a brief interview that the delegation is en route to the Pakistani capital for a second round of negotiations with Iran.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said that the deal that his administration is working on will be "far better" than the nuclear deal that former President Barack Obama struck with Iran in 2015.
Trump also told the Post that he is willing to meet with senior Iranian leaders if a breakthrough is reached. But he told Bloomberg, also on Monday morning, that he didn't think it would be necessary for him to attend the talks in person.
Trump said the truce, which he announced on April 7, will expire on Wednesday evening U.S. 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."
However, people familiar with the plans said that JD Vance is currently expected to depart Washington on Tuesday.
The second round of talks is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, according to sources.
However, Iran has not yet decided to send a negotiating team and will not enter talks as long as a naval blockade remains in place, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.
The issue of the U.S. naval blockade is a very fundamental obstacle in the way of the talks and this issue has been conveyed to the Pakistani mediator, with the Pakistani mediator saying that he had discussed the issue with Trump, according to the report.
In addition to the issue of the naval blockade, there have been excessive demands from the Americans mentioned in the exchanged messages that do not show a clear horizon for any upcoming negotiations, said the report.
The Iranian delegation believes that as long as the United States looks at the issue unrealistically, negotiations would be simply a waste of time, said the report.
On Monday, one senior Iranian official told the media that Tehran is "positively reviewing" its participation in the new round of peace talks, but stressed that no final decision has been made.
Also on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iranians "do not submit to force," accusing the United States of seeking his country's surrender.
He made the remarks in a post on the social media platform X, amid uncertainty over Iran's participation in a second round of talks with the United States in Islamabad.
"Honoring commitments is the basis of meaningful dialogue," Pezeshkian wrote.
He said that deep mistrust persists in Iran toward the U.S. conduct, and that "unconstructive and contradictory signals" from American officials suggest they seek Iran's surrender.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Monday that Tehran does not accept negotiations with the United States under the shadow of threats.
He said in a post on X that Trump was seeking to turn the negotiating table into a "table of surrender."
A senior Pakistani government official told the media on Monday that Pakistan is confident it can get Iran to attend talks with the United States.
On Sunday, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, emphasizing the need for continued dialogue and engagement as essential to resolving the current issues for promoting the peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi informed Iran's Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam on Monday that preparations for the second phase of talks in Islamabad have been completed.
According to a statement, the Pakistani minister met with the Iranian ambassador to discuss arrangements for the second round of talks, saying that foolproof security arrangements have been put in place for visiting foreign delegations.
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East.
A ceasefire between the United States and Iran took effect on April 8. Iranian and U.S. delegations then held talks in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, but no progress was reported.
Trump says it is "highly unlikely" to extend ceasefire with Iran
