Trump Threatens to Bomb Iran if No Deal is Reached by Wednesday

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to bomb Iran if a deal is not reached before the end of a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday, even as Pakistan urged the two sides to extend the ceasefire and give diplomacy a chance.

While Trump stated that his team of negotiators could reach Islamabad on Monday night for talks, the Iranian delegation is also expected to go to Islamabad, but so far there has been no sign of any peacemakers in Islamabad.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Tuesday evening that his country was still waiting for an official response from Iran regarding its participation in the second round of talks with the United States.

Underlining that the ceasefire ends at 4:50 am PST Wednesday, he said, “Decision from Iran to attend the talks before the end of the two-week ceasefire is critical.”

Trump has said he is prepared to continue attacking Iran if the ceasefire ends without a deal. “I expect to bomb because I think that’s a better attitude,” he told CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’.

“I don’t want to do that,” Trump said when asked if he would extend the ceasefire with Iran to give time for peace talks to reach an agreement to end the war.

“They need to negotiate. And, you know, the one thing I would say is this: Iran can put itself on very good footing. If they make a deal, they can turn themselves into a strong nation again, a great nation again,” he added.

The president said he thought the United States would “reach a great deal” with Iran to end the weeks-long war.

When asked about his expectations for the second round of talks with Iran, Trump said, “I don’t think they have a choice.”

“We disabled their navy, we disabled their air force, we disabled their leaders,” he said.

“Obviously we have their leaders out of the picture, which kind of complicates things, but those leaders are a lot more rational,” Trump said. “This is not something I said I would do, whatever you want to call it, but I did it indirectly.”

The first round of US-Iran talks, held on April 11 and 12, did not yield the desired results for the parties and led to a series of activities by the host Pakistan to calm nerves and raise hopes for a new round of dialogue.

Amid uncertainty over US-Iran talks, Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday urged the two sides to extend the two-week ceasefire and give diplomacy a chance.

Dar, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with US Charge d’Affaires Natalie A Baker in Islamabad and discussed the latest regional developments.

In a statement issued by the foreign office, Dar emphasized that Pakistan has constantly emphasized dialogue and diplomacy as the only valid way to find solutions to challenges and ensure lasting regional peace and stability.

“He emphasized the need for engagement between the United States and Iran and called on both sides to consider extending the ceasefire and give dialogue and diplomacy a chance,” the statement said.

Minister of Internal Affairs Muhsin Naqvi also met with the ambassadors of the USA and Iran on Tuesday and discussed issues related to peace talks.

Separately, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong summoned Dar and discussed the latest regional developments, the FO said.

Jiang conveyed that China fully supports and appreciates Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to facilitate interaction between the United States and Iran for sustainable peace and stability in the region and beyond.

Dar reaffirmed the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, underlined the strength of bilateral ties and emphasized the importance of continuous high-level contacts between the two countries.

He also had a telephone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the latest regional developments.

According to the PA, they stressed the importance of dialogue and participation for peace and stability and agreed to remain in close contact.

Despite the uncertainty, Trump expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran would continue and wished for a deal to prevent oil price increases and stock market shocks, but insisted that Iran would not have the means to develop nuclear weapons.

Pakistan began preparations on Sunday by deploying more than 10,000 personnel to ensure the security of foreign delegates.

However, some reports suggest that security teams from the two countries are already in the Pakistani capital to oversee preparations.

American news outlet Axios, citing three US sources, had previously reported that Vice President J.D. Vance was expected to travel to Islamabad on Tuesday morning to meet with Iran on a possible deal to end the war. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are also likely to join Vance.

Tehran hopes to strengthen its control of the Strait of Hormuz to reach a deal that prevents a resumption of war, eases sanctions but does not hinder its nuclear program.

The situation remains fluid amid heated rhetoric from both sides. Still, there is hope that a second round will be held or at least that the ceasefire, which expires on Wednesday, will be extended.

The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran was tested again on Sunday when a U.S. guided missile destroyer fired on and captured an Iranian cargo ship trying to breach the U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, further angering the Iranians.