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

▲ 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)

(LEAD) Trump-Iran negotiations

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

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout)

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 on hold his trip to Pakistan for a new round of peace talks with Iran, The New York Times reported, citing an official, while Iran has yet to officially 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.

Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. negotiators were reportedly expected to depart for Islamabad on Tuesday for a possible second round of peace talks with Iran. The U.S. and Iran held the first round of talks in the Pakistani capital from April 11 and 12, but they failed to reach a deal.

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.

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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