US President Donald Trump believes that a deal with Iran will not be possible if the naval blockade is lifted.
„Iran does not want the Strait of Hormuz closed. They want it open so they can earn $500 million a day. They say they want him locked up just because I blocked him completely, so they just want to “save face“, he wrote on Truth Social.
“But if we do that, the Iran deal may never happen“, the American leader added.
Hours earlier, Trump announced his intention to extend the ceasefire with Iran, which was due to expire in the coming hours.
Mahdi Mohammadi, an advisor to the speaker of Iran's parliament, said that Washington's announced extension of the ceasefire with Iran is a tactic and will allow it to prepare a new surprise attack on the Islamic Republic. According to Mohammadi, the US, as the losing party, “cannot dictate terms“.
The trip of US Vice President J. D. Vance's trip to Islamabad for talks with Iran has been postponed indefinitely, the Axios portal reported.
Citing unnamed officials and sources, the media outlet wrote that Vance will participate in “additional policy meetings“ on April 22 at the White House. Special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and the US leader's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are also participating in these meetings. Both participated in the first round of personal talks with representatives of the Iranian leadership in Islamabad, along with Vance.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement that Washington is extending the ceasefire with Iran.
“The Secretary-General welcomes the US announcement of the extension of the ceasefire. This is an important step towards de-escalation and creating a critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States.“ "We call on all parties to build on this momentum, to refrain from actions that could undermine the ceasefire, and to engage constructively in negotiations to achieve a sustainable and lasting agreement," the statement said.