Trump has issued a blunt message.

12:38, Tue, Apr 21, 2026 Updated: 14:18, Tue, Apr 21, 2026

President Trump Speaks To Press Outside The Oval Office

Trump (Image: Getty)

US President Donald Trump has issued a blunt new statement on the war in Iran as peace talks teeter on the verge of complete collapse. He said "bombing is the best strategy to start with" in Iran, adding that "we are ready" in an ominous message ahead of the ceasefire expiring.

Taking to his social media platform Truth Social earlier today, Mr Trump accused Iran of breaking the two-week truce "numerous times". He wrote: "Iran has Violated the Cease Fire numerous times." This comes after the US President extended the ceasefire deadline by one day as the progress of follow-up negotiations in Pakistan remains uncertain.

Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on the evening of April 7, which would have required the warring nations to reach a deal by Tuesday, April 21.

However, the President granted negotiators an additional day to secure an agreement, as Iranian officials have yet to formally commit to sending a delegation to Islamabad.

Following the announcement of the extension, he cautioned Iran that it is "highly unlikely that I'd extend it" again, having repeatedly shifted his position on prolonging the ceasefire.

"I'm not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. We've got all the time in the world," Trump told Bloomberg over the phone Monday, adding that he expects fighting to resume if the peace talks fail. "If there's no deal, I would certainly expect."

The comments came during a phone call with White House correspondent Liz Landers about the Iran conflict, as a US delegation prepares for further peace talks.

Asked whether Iran would still take part in talks in Islamabad, Mr Trump said: "I don't know. I mean, they're supposed to be there.

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"We agreed to be there, although they say we didn't. But no, it was set up. And we'll see whether or not it's there. If they're not there, that's fine too."

The US President also made clear what he wanted from the latest round of negotiations. "No nuclear weapons," he said. "Very simple. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Very simple."