- By Raju Kumar
- Wed, 22 Apr 2026 08:29 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
US-Iran Talks: Hours after announcing the extension of the ceasefire between the US and Iran to indefinite, American President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared the date for the next round of the peace talks with Tehran. He said there is a "good news" regarding a second round of peace talks with Iran, and it may come as soon as Friday.
Earlier, Trump said he would indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran to allow for further peace talks, although it was not clear on Wednesday if Iran or Israel, the US ally in the two-month war, would agree. Trump said in a statement on social media the US had agreed to a request by Pakistani mediators "to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal ... and discussions are concluded, one way or the other."
Quiz
Hours after extending the ceasefire, Trump doubled down on the US blockade, saying in a social media post that lifting it would undermine any chance of a peace deal "unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included." A first session of talks 11 days ago produced no agreement, with much of the focus on Iran's stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.
What's Behind Trump's Unilateral Decisions
The unilateral decisions, including extending the ceasefire indefinitely, show his anxiety about the future of the situation in the Middle East. His assessment to conclude the Iran war within a few days collapsed with the unexpected resilience shown by Iran's military forces. Trump, through Pakistan, tried hard to bring Tehran's delegation to Islamabad for the second round of talks, but Iran remained adamant that it would not come to the dialogue table under US pressure. Trump looks frustrated over his inability to control the Strait of Hormuz, a global fuel chokepoint. Trump now understands that a prolonged hostility in the narrow sea route in the Persian Gulf would impact the crude oil price, which could create fresh havoc in the oil market. Trump publicly does not accept the failure of his Iran war policy, but the way he used Pakistan to pursue talks exposes his shortsightedness.
Trump's Stand On Hormuz
Trump asserted that he would continue the US Navy's blockade of Iran's trade by sea, considered an act of war by Iran. Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said Iran had not asked for a ceasefire extension and repeated threats to break the US blockade by force.
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"Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!). They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to “save face.” People approached me four days ago, saying, “Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately.” But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included," Trump said on his social media handle, Truthsocial.
The US and Israel began the war on February 28 with aerial bombardments of Iran. The conflict quickly spread to Gulf states that host U.S. military bases and to Lebanon once the Iran-allied militant group Hezbollah joined the fighting. More than 5,000 civilians have been killed across the region and hundreds of thousands displaced so far, mostly in Iran and Lebanon.
What Was The Core Issue Behind The War?
According to Trump, the core issue of the war is Iran's ambition to have nuclear weapons, which he terms an existential threat to America. Trump wants to take the uranium out of Iran in order to prevent the country from enriching it further to the point where it could develop a nuclear weapon. Iran says it has only a peaceful civilian nuclear program and a sovereign right to continue that as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
(With Reuters Inputs)