'Maybe I won't extend it': Trump signals he may resume bombing Iran if ceasefire deal not reached by Wednesday

US President Donald Trump on Friday signalled he may not extend the ongoing ceasefire with Iran, warning that the United States could resume military strikes if a deal is not reached before the truce's Wednesday deadline.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the decision would hinge on whether American and Iranian negotiators could finalise an agreement before the current two-week ceasefire expires on April 22.

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"Maybe I won't extend it. But the blockade is going to remain, but maybe I won't extend it. So, you have a blockade, and unfortunately, we'll have to start dropping bombs again," the US President said.

Trump was responding to a question on whether he would extend the ceasefire if no deal were reached by Wednesday. He added, however, that he believed a deal would come through. "I think it's going to happen," he said.

The remarks mark a hardening of Washington's position, with Trump making clear that while the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place regardless of the outcome, the pause in hostilities itself may not be renewed.

Strait of Hormuz and key sticking points

Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday following the ceasefire. Tehran, however, has threatened to close the critical waterway again if the US blockade continues.

On the question of tolls, Trump flatly ruled out any such arrangement. "There are not going to be tolls" on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, he said — rejecting a proposal Iran had put forward during earlier peace deal discussions.

Also Read: Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz, but with strings attached

Trump also insisted that Washington and Tehran would jointly transfer Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium to the United States under any eventual deal to end the war, which began on February 28. Iran's foreign ministry, however, has said its uranium stockpile would not be transferred "anywhere."

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping was "very happy" about the reopening of the global oil chokepoint, and referenced a planned summit in Beijing in May. "Our meeting in China will be a special one and, potentially, Historic," he wrote.

New round of talks in Islamabad

A fresh round of negotiations between Iranian and American delegations is expected to take place in Islamabad on Monday, CNN reported, citing Iranian officials familiar with the discussions. The two delegations are likely to arrive in the Pakistani capital on Sunday.

The upcoming talks aim to break the stalemate that emerged from the Islamabad Peace Talks held April 11–12 — a historic but inconclusive first high-level, face-to-face diplomatic engagement between the two nations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Those talks were mediated by Pakistan.

Key differences between the two sides remain unresolved heading into Monday's meeting.

With inputs from agencies