President Trump says the US blockade of Iranian ports will continue if no agreement is reached, casting doubt on extending a fragile ceasefire.
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: President Donald Trump has declared a US blockade of Iranian ports will remain in place if a peace deal with Tehran is not finalised.
He also suggested he may not extend a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran when it expires.
The ceasefire is due to end on Wednesday, with key differences persisting between US and Iranian demands after failed talks in Pakistan.
“Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late Friday.
When asked about the potential for an agreement, he added, “I think it’s going to happen.”
Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday following a separate ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon.
Tehran has threatened to close the vital global oil chokepoint again if the US blockade continues.
Trump stated there would be “not going to be tolls” imposed by Iran on ships, rejecting a previous demand from the Islamic republic.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said China’s President Xi Jinping was “very happy” about the strait reopening.
He added that a planned summit in Beijing in May would be a “special one and, potentially, Historic.”
Trump insisted that under the proposed deal, Washington and Tehran would jointly transfer enriched uranium stored in Iran to the United States.
This claim directly contradicts Iran’s foreign ministry, which earlier said its uranium stockpile would not be transferred “anywhere.”
The war between the US and Iran began on February 28.
