US president says Iran has “no choice” but to show up to talks in Pakistan and accept a “great” deal.
Published April 21, 2026
US President Donald Trump has said he opposes extending the ceasefire with Iran, which expires on Wednesday, and giving more time for negotiations.
President Trump’s comments in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday raised the stakes for a series of talks scheduled to be held in Pakistan this week and suggested war could flare up again if the parties fail to reach an agreement.
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Amid heightened tensions over Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the United States’ blockade of Iranian ports, Iran has not publicly committed to attending negotiations.
Asked in an interview with CNBC if he would support extending the ceasefire to buy time for talks, Trump said: “Well, I don’t want to do that.”
The president said an Iranian representative would attend the talks and stressed that negotiators do not have much time to reach an agreement.
President Trump said, “Iran will be in a very good position if we reach a deal. We can become a strong country again.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the meeting, President Trump predicted that the United States and Tehran would reach a “big deal.”
“I don’t think they have a choice,” he said of the Iranians. “We took out their navy. We took out their air force. We took out their leaders.”
President Trump has threatened to bomb bridges, power plants and water stations in Iran and said the US military is “fully prepared” to restart the war.
“It’s not my choice, but they’re going to be hurt. They’re going to be hurt militarily,” he said of threats to target Iranian civilian infrastructure. “They use the bridge to move weapons and missiles.”
Iran continues to speak out against President Trump’s rhetoric, saying it will not negotiate under threat.
A two-week ceasefire has successfully halted fighting, but has been disrupted by Israel’s attack on Lebanon and disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran insists Lebanon is part of the cease-fire agreement and has kept the strait closed to pressure Israel to stop shelling the country.
Meanwhile, President Trump ordered the U.S. military to encircle ships linked to Iran and blockade his own sea lanes.
When a ceasefire was announced in Lebanon, Iran announced it would reopen the strait, but President Trump said the U.S. blockade would continue. Less than 24 hours later, the Iranian government announced it was closing the strait again.
The U.S. military has seized at least one Iranian-flagged ship as part of a blockade that Tehran has accused of piracy.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday: “The United States takes full responsibility for the consequences of the dangerous escalation, and Iran will take all measures to protect its sovereignty and protect the rights of its people.”
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused oil prices around the world to soar. Gasoline prices for U.S. consumers have increased by more than 25 percent since the start of the war.
In an interview with CNBC, President Trump emphasized that the United States has “absolute” control of the strategic waterway.
