▲ This photo, released by the Associated Press, shows U.S. President Donald Trump attending an event at the White House in Washington on April 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) Trump-Iran negotiations

(2nd LD) Uncertainty hangs over U.S.-Iran negotiation prospects as ceasefire deadline looms

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras in paras 2, 16-21)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Yonhap) -- Uncertainty continued Tuesday to shroud prospects for the resumption of U.S.-Iran peace talks as a two-week ceasefire neared its end, though U.S. President Donald Trump remained positive that Washington would secure a "great deal."

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has put his trip to Pakistan for a new round of peace talks with Iran on hold as Tehran has failed to respond to U.S. positions, The New York Times reported. Iran has yet to formally announce whether it will join the talks in Islamabad, though the ceasefire is set to expire on Wednesday (Washington time).

Tensions between Washington and Tehran persisted as Iran angrily responded to America's continued blockade of its ports and vessels, and the United States imposed fresh sanctions targeting procurement networks that support Iran's unmanned aerial vehicle and ballistic missile programs.

Should negotiations resume, Vance, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to join. The Iranian delegation is likely to include the parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and other top officials.

Despite Trump's claim that Iran has agreed to almost everything, including a U.S. demand to forgo its nuclear ambitions, sticking points appear to remain, including Tehran's push to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil, fertilizer and other commodities.

On Tuesday, Trump again struck an optimistic note over the outlook for the potential negotiations with Iran, while saying that he does not want to extend the ceasefire with Tehran.

"What I think is that we are going to end up with a great deal," he said in an interview with CNBC.

"I think they have no choice. We've taken out their navy. We've taken out their air force. We've taken out their leaders, frankly, which does complicate things in one way, but these leaders are much more rational," he added.

He highlighted that Washington is in a "very strong" negotiating position, as it has ratcheted up pressure on Iran to accept a series of its demands, including Iran's commitment not to have a nuclear weapon.

In a social media post Sunday, Trump said the U.S. is offering a "very fair and reasonable" deal, renewing threats to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges if a deal is not reached.

Asked if he is willing to extend the current ceasefire with Iran if there is progress in the negotiations, Trump struck a negative tone.

"Well, I don't want to do that. We don't have that much time," he said during the CNBC interview.

He claimed that if Iran makes a deal, it can "get themselves at a very good footing."

"If they make a deal, they can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again," he said.

Meanwhile, U.S. forces interdicted and boarded a vessel, which was sanctioned for a transaction with Iran, in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The move came after the Navy's seizure of an Iranian cargo ship on Sunday that attempted to evade a U.S. maritime blockade.

In an X post, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, criticized the U.S. blockade as an "act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire."

"Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation," he wrote. "Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying."

Attaullah Tarar, the information and broadcasting minister of Pakistan, said that his country, a key mediator in the U.S.-Iran negotiations, is still waiting for Iran's formal response regarding whether it will attend the peace talks.

"⁠Pakistan as the mediator is in constant touch with (the) Iranians and pursuing the path of diplomacy and dialogue," he wrote on X.

"A decision from Iran to attend the talks before the end of (the) two weeks ceasefire is critical. ⁠Pakistan has made sincere efforts to convince the Iranian leadership to participate in the second round of talks and these efforts continue."

Washington and Tehran held the first round of negotiations in Islamabad on April 11 and 12. But they failed to reach an agreement.

The continued flare-up of tensions between the U.S. and Iran came as the Trump administration seeks an exit from the war with the Middle East country amid concerns over the conflict's economic repercussions ahead of U.S. midterm elections slated for November.

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