April 21 (UPI) — On Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump said he was extending the cease-fire with Iran, citing the country’s “seriously fractured” government.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Iranian and Pakistani officials requested the cease-fire be continued “until their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.”
“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” Trump’s post read.
The post came after uncertainty over plannd peace talks put Vice President JD Vance’s trip to Pakistan on hold Tuesday, wile Iranian officials were silent on whether they intended to take part in the talks at all.
The New York Times reported that talks could, however, restart at any time. Officials in Tehran were divided on whether to take part in negotiations while the United States held firm on its embargo on ports in Iran, Axios reported.
Trump said earlier in the day that he expected to reach a deal with Iran in negotiations to end the war on Tuesday, but if no deal is made, he was prepared to resume bombing.
The two-week cease-fire Trump agreed to was set to expire on Wednesday, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a centerpiece to the conflict between the United States and Iran.
“What I think is that we’re going to end up with a great deal,” Trump said in an interview on CNBC on Tuesday. “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. It is regime change, no matter what you want to call it. Which is not something I said I was going to do but I’ve done, indirectly maybe, but I’ve done it.”
Trump said the United States’ blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has been a “tremendous success,” adding that “we totally control the strait.”
The president added that he does not want to extend the cease-fire, noting that negotiations will take place near the time the two-week cease-fire ends.
If a deal is not agreed to on Tuesday and Wednesday, Trump said, “I expect to be bombing,” and “we are raring to go.”
“We’re totally loaded up. We have so much of everything; much more powerful than it was four or five weeks ago,” Trump said. “We caught a ship yesterday that had some things on it, which wasn’t very nice. A gift from China perhaps, I don’t know.”
Trump claimed that Iran has executed 42,000 protesters in the last two months, a number that has not been verified, though former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said thousands were killed earlier this year.
On social media, Trump shared a post saying the Islamic Republic is “preparing to hang eight women.” Trump called on Iranian leaders to release the women.
“I would greatly appreciate the release of these women,” Trump wrote. “I am sure that they will respect the fact that you did so. Please do them no harm! Would be a great start to our negotiations!”
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