US President Donald Trump said he is not considering extending the ongoing two-week ceasefire with Iran, while indicating that a negotiated settlement remains his preferred route to end the conflict in West Asia.
Speaking to ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, Trump expressed confidence that an extension may not be required. “President Trump told me today he isn’t thinking about extending the ceasefire. He doesn’t think it will be necessary,” Karl wrote in a post on X. “I think you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead,” Trump said. “I really do.”
“It could end either way, but I think a deal is preferable because then they can rebuild. They really do have a different regime now. No matter what, we took out the radicals. They’re gone, no longer with us,” Trump said, as quoted by ABC’s Karl.
He also made a sweeping claim about his leadership, stating, “If I weren’t president, the world would be torn to pieces.”
War ‘very close’ to ending, but operations ongoing: Trump
Trump’s remarks follow his earlier assertion that the war with Iran is “very close” to ending, even as he warned that US operations are still underway.
“If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we’re not finished,” he said. “We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly,” he added, as reported by Fox Business.
Fresh talks planned as ceasefire deadline nears
The comments come amid efforts by Washington and Tehran to arrange a second round of peace talks in the coming days. According to a Bloomberg report, both sides aim to hold further discussions before the April 7 ceasefire deadline.
One proposal under consideration is to return to Islamabad, where the initial round of negotiations took place last weekend, though alternative venues are also being explored.
Peace talks in Islamabad end in stalemate
Direct negotiations between the US and Iran ended without a breakthrough after more than 21 hours of discussions in Islamabad on Sunday. The talks, mediated by Pakistan, failed to produce a conclusive outcome.
Iran’s nuclear programme, particularly uranium enrichment, emerged as the central sticking point. The negotiations, led by US Vice President JD Vance, collapsed after Iran refused to abandon its nuclear programme, while Tehran described the US position as “excessive.”
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