DONALD Trump has warned it is “highly unlikely” that the two-week ceasefire with Iran will be extended past the Wednesday deadline.
has been accused of stalling peace talks with huge disagreements continuing to dog progress between both sides as the shaky ceasefire between the enemies teeters on the brink of collapse.
Donald Trump has warned it is ‘highly unlikely’ that the two-week ceasefire with Iran will be extended past the Wednesday deadline Credit: Getty
Dramatic pictures shows the moment US commandos seized a rogue Iranian vessel on Sunday Credit: Reuters
Smoke rises from the site of a US-Israeli strike on the Iranian capital Tehran on April 7 as the prospect of a return to war lingers Credit: AFP
A second round of talks are due to resume later today in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
But Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has declared the regime has “no plan for the next round of negotiations” amid fears the US delegation would be stood up.
It remains unclear if the talks will go ahead.
The current shaky truce between the America and the rogue state is due to expire at around 1am UK time on Wednesday as tensions between the US and Iran continue to mount with no sign of compromise.
Trump said earlier today: “I’m not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. We’ve got all the time in the world.”
When asked about the ceasefire, Trump told Bloomberg : “It is Wednesday evening. Wednesday evening time.”
He further reiterated his intentions about the future of the regime, taking to Truth Social to say Iran must accept peace terms.
The main sticking points between the two sides remain Tehran’s enriched uranium, its missile programme and allowing safe passage through the paralysed Strait of Hormuz route.
Baghaei has already flatly rejected all three US demands.
Trump – who has vowed to blitz every power station and bridge in Iran if no deal is reached – vented his frustration at the mullahs’ apparent no-show at peace talks.
He said: “They’re supposed to be there. We agreed to be there, although they say we didn’t.
“It was set up. And we’ll see whether or not it’s there. If they’re not there, that’s fine too.”
Trump went on to say that the regime should be appreciative of his offer.
He added: “The results in Iran will be amazing – And if Iran’s new leaders (Regime Change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!”
He also insisted that he won’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz to the dismay of the Iranian government after the US launched a blockade over the weekend.
“They want me to open it. The Iranians desperately want it opened. I’m not opening it until a deal is signed,” Trump said.
Tensions spiralled overnight after a attempting to dodge the American blockade.
The Basij paramilitary, affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, stand on a military vehicle while holding an Iranian flag during a parade in Tehran Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
One of the main sticking points yet to be resolved is the future of the Strait of Hormuz Credit: Reuters
American military chiefs released video of the USS Spruance warship blasting the engine room of the Iranian cargo vessel Touska on Sunday.
Dramatic audio showed a captain ordering the Iranian crew “vacate your engine room” before a volley of shells disabled the ship’s power plant.
US marines then slid down ropes onto the ship from helicopters launched by the USS Tripoli assault ship to take control of the vessel.
The ship’s captain was said to have “failed to comply with repeated warnings” from US forces over a six-hour period before the first ship seizure was ordered.
Trump said: “Our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room.”
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military HQ vowed that Iran would avenge the “violation of the ceasefire” and launched toward US ships, though no damage was reported.
Its statement read: “Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond to and retaliate for this act of armed piracy by the US Navy.”
Peace hopes slumped further as a former commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps declared it his nation’s “inalienable right” to control the Strait of Hormuz oil route.
Ebrahim Azizi said: “Iran will decide the right of passage, including permissions for vessels to pass through the Strait.”
Iranian military chiefs pledged further revenge as Brent crude oil prices jumped five per cent to $94-a-barrel as the reignited conflict continues to rock global markets.
The Iran conflict has already triggered the largest global energy supply disruption in history following the closure of the Hormuz channel which carries a fifth of the world’s oil and gas.
Market pressure has led to record fuel prices, high and a growing risk of global – amid fear of further spikes if the war escalates.
Villages and cities have been destroyed during the war across the Middle East Credit: AFP 
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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