Trump says US likely to resume bombing Iran as ceasefire nears end
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/21/trump-resume-bombing-iran-ceasefire
Trump says US likely to resume bombing Iran as ceasefire nears end
The US president rejects extending truce as Tehran warns of response and negotiators head to Islamabad
Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he expects to resume bombing Iran, as a fragile 14-day ceasefire approaches its deadline Wednesday with no deal in sight.
“I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with,” Trump told CNBC’s Squawk Box. “We’re ready to go. The military is raring to go.”
When asked if he would extend the ceasefire, he replied: “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time.”
He added that the US was in a strong negotiating position and would ultimately secure what he called a great deal – though on what timeline, and at what cost, remained unclear.
The remarks came alongside a Truth Social post in which Trump accused Tehran of having “Violated the Cease Fire numerous times!” – an allegation that appeared to lay the groundwork for justifying resumed strikes.
Despite his sharp tongue, Trump at the same time indicated that a fresh round of negotiations was still on the table. JD Vance and Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, were expected to meet in Islamabad for another round of talks on Tuesday, though the US vice-president was spotted at the White House Tuesday afternoon, making it unlikely that he’d make the trip in time.
The whiplash and confusion between war and peace talk has become the hallmark of Trump’s approach to the war. On Monday alone, he bounced between a potential deal being close and warning that “lots of bombs” would “start going off” if negotiations failed. Earlier in the month, he threatened extinction on “a whole civilization” of Iran, and that its civilians were actively welcoming US strikes on their country’s infrastructure.
Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon secretary, last week said the US is “locked and loaded” to finish destroying Iran’s energy grid.
After the CNBC interview, Trump turned his Tuesday morning fire homeward. In a Truth Social post, he urged Americans not to let “traitor Democrats” criticize last June’s Operation Midnight Hammer, claiming the mission had “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites and that Space Force cameras were watching all three locations around the clock.
Iran showed no sign of softening. Ghalibaf posted on X early Tuesday that “we do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats”, while accusing Washington of seeking Iranian surrender rather than a genuine settlement. The country’s military commander meanwhile warned of an “immediate and decisive response” to any resumed hostilities.
The standoff has shaken global energy markets. Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, described the situation as “the biggest crisis in history”, warning that the combined impact of the conflict’s effects on oil alongside the ongoing Russian gas crisis was without precedent.
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