Donald Trump Expects U.S. Bombing Iran If No Deal as Ceasefire Nears End

As a two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire nears its end, President Donald Trump told CNBC that he expects “to be bombing” if there is no deal, saying “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time.”

Trump framed the U.S. position as one that will produce a “great deal,” telling CNBC’s Squawk Box, “I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with,” and adding, “We’re ready to go. The military is raring to go.”

Al Jazeera

The deadline itself is described differently across reporting: DW says the ceasefire ends at 04:50 a.m. PST (1150 GMT), while NPR reports confusion over whether it ends Wednesday evening Eastern time or Wednesday morning at 4:50 a.m. local time.

NPR also notes that the first round of talks in Islamabad ended without an agreement, and that Vice President Vance is expected to lead a second round.

In parallel, Iran’s position is presented as hardening: Al Jazeera reports Tehran denies plans for a new round of negotiations in Islamabad and hints at a stronger military response if hostilities resume, while Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says, “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats.”

The standoff is also tied to shipping and energy pressure, with the International Energy Agency warning that the Iran war is fueling “the biggest energy crisis in history,” according to DW, and with NPR describing the Strait of Hormuz as a key leverage point for Iran.

The overall picture across sources is that diplomacy is racing against time while both sides prepare for renewed conflict if talks fail.

Multiple outlets describe Islamabad as the focal point for a second round of ceasefire talks, but they also emphasize that Iran has not publicly confirmed participation.

PBS reports that “Pakistan-led mediators received confirmation” that top negotiators—U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf—will arrive in Islamabad early Wednesday, while Iranian state television broadcast that “no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad … so far.”

Al Jazeera

NPR similarly says Iranian state media report no Iranian delegations have traveled to Islamabad “so far,” and it adds that Pakistan’s government has given no formal indication about the status of mediation efforts.

Al Jazeera describes the diplomatic race as a contest between Trump’s expectations and Iran’s denial, stating that Tehran hints at a stronger military response if hostilities resume.

In the U.S. framing, Trump tells CNBC that he does not want to extend the ceasefire and that “We’re ready to go. The military is raring to go,” while the Guardian reports that Trump also accused Tehran of violating the ceasefire “numerous times!” in a Truth Social post.

On the Iranian side, the denial and threat language is explicit: Al Jazeera Net says Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani warns that Tehran “will certainly respond more harshly than before” if attacked, and it also quotes Abdollah Hajji-Sadeqi saying, “there are currently no negotiations.”

Even as talks are discussed, the sources show that the decision to engage is contested in real time, with PBS noting that it is unclear who the Iranian team would meet and with NPR describing confusion over the ceasefire’s exact expiration timing.

The sources connect the diplomacy to a sequence of maritime incidents and U.S. enforcement actions that both sides treat as ceasefire violations.

“As the two-week deadline for a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran nears, the confrontation between the two sides enters a race against the clock to determine the outcomes of the truce, amid conflicting signals and threats of escalation as diplomatic efforts stall”

Al-Jazeera Net

DW reports that U.S. Defense Department forces intercepted and boarded a vessel reportedly affiliated with Iran in the Indian Ocean, describing it as part of efforts to “interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran,” and it names the ship as M/T Tifani.

DW adds that AFP cited energy intelligence firm Kpler saying the vessel had loaded “some two million barrels of crude oil at Iran's Kharg Island on April 5” and passed through the Strait of Hormuz on April 9.

Al Jazeera describes a separate flashpoint in the Gulf of Oman, saying U.S. naval forces fired on and seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska and boarded it after it attempted to pass through a naval blockade enforced against Iran-linked ships since April 13.

Al Jazeera says Tehran called the incident a ceasefire violation and demanded the immediate release of the ship, its crew members and their families, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry described the seizure as “extremely dangerous” and “criminal,” warning that Tehran “will use all its capacities” to defend its national interests.

CNBC’s account adds that shipping disruptions continued as vessels came under fire mid-passage and were forced to withdraw, and it says on Sunday the U.S. Navy fired on and seized an Iranian container ship in the Gulf of Oman.

Across these accounts, the sea lanes—especially the Strait of Hormuz—function as both the strategic bargaining chip and the immediate trigger for escalation.

The negotiations’ sticking points are described as centered on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program, with both sides framing the other’s demands as unacceptable.

NPR says Washington’s main points of contention include control over the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Iran’s nuclear program, and it quotes Mark Freeman saying, “The weaker party gains just by virtue of entering into a negotiation process.”

Anadolu Ajansı

NPR also states that about “20% of the world's crude oil and natural gas passes through the narrow strait,” and it describes Iran’s leverage as toll collection from commercial ships as a condition for reopening the waterway.

For the nuclear track, NPR says the Trump administration wants limits on nuclear enrichment and that Trump told a radio show that Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon,” while Vice President Vance said the U.S. needs “an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon.”

CNBC adds that the first round of talks on April 12 between Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi failed, and it reports Washington proposed a “20-year pause on Iranian uranium enrichment,” which Iranian leaders rejected in favor of “five years.”

On Iran’s side, NPR says Tehran’s key demands for extending the ceasefire include an end to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and guarantees that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah will not resume.

The sources show that the underlying issues are structural and mutually exclusive, making the final hours of the truce a test of whether either side can shift its red lines.

The sources depict high stakes that extend beyond the battlefield, especially through energy markets and the risk of renewed strikes.

DW says the IEA warns that the Iran war is fueling “the biggest energy crisis in history,” and it links the crisis to the broader U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and the wider Middle East.

CBS News

The Guardian reports that the standoff has shaken global energy markets, with Fatih Birol describing it as “the biggest crisis in history,” and it adds that the combined impact of the conflict’s effects on oil alongside the ongoing Russian gas crisis was without precedent.

CNBC provides a more market-anchored account, reporting that West Texas Intermediate futures jumped more than 6% to $89 per barrel shortly after midnight on Monday while Brent climbed 5.6% to $95.50 a barrel.

CNBC also quotes Rory Johnston saying, “The strait still isn't flowing,” and it states that “13 million barrels a day of production remains shut-in,” with “We’re losing it every single day this goes on,” as Johnston told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

In the political and military realm, Trump’s threats are repeatedly tied to the ceasefire deadline, with the Guardian quoting him saying “lots of bombs” would “start going off” if negotiations failed, and with CNBC reporting he renewed threats to strike Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran refuses a deal.

The overall consequence described across outlets is that the truce’s failure would rapidly worsen both the immediate security situation and the global energy shock.