Trump: If the US and Iran Do Not Reach an Agreement, Extending the Ceasefire is "Extremely Unlikely"

On April 20, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington (reporters Huang Qiang and Xu Jianmei) that U.S. President Trump said in a phone interview with Bloomberg reporters on the 20th that if the temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran does not result in an agreement before its expiration, extending the ceasefire for another two periods is "extremely unlikely."

Trump stated that the ceasefire agreement he announced on the 7th will expire at "Washington time on the evening of the 22nd." He indicated that the maritime blockade against Iran would not stop until an agreement is reached.

When asked if military actions against Iran would resume immediately if no agreement is reached, Trump said, "If no agreement is reached, I certainly expect that to be the case."

Trump mentioned that U.S. Vice President Pence would travel to Pakistan later that day, with a new round of negotiations scheduled to begin on the 21st. He also stated that the U.S. "will not rush to reach a bad agreement. We have plenty of time."

According to a report by The New York Times citing two Iranian officials, the Iranian delegation plans to travel to Islamabad on the 21st for negotiations with the U.S. If Pence attends the negotiations, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf will also be present.

However, Iranian media reported on the 20th that Iran's decision not to participate in the new round of negotiations has not changed.

Additionally, Trump said in a phone interview with NPR on the morning of the 20th that the negotiation schedule has indeed been arranged, and regarding whether Iran will ultimately show up, "We will wait and see. If they don't come, that's fine." He also stated that the core objective of the U.S. in this round of negotiations is to "ensure that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons."