The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has ruled out extending the ceasefire with Iran, which expires at dawn, and has threatened to "bomb" the country because he considers it "the best attitude to go with".
"I don't want to do that (extend the truce). We don't have that much time", the US leader stated in an interview with CNBC. "I expect to bomb (...). We are ready to go. That is to say, the military is ready for it", he added.
Likewise, this Tuesday Trump has accused Tehran of having "violated the ceasefire on numerous occasions" since it began on April 8. At this point, negotiations between both countries remain open, with a second round of contacts pending in Islamabad (Pakistan), where the Iranian and American delegation are expected to meet to advance an agreement that puts an end to hostilities.
Iran does not accept "negotiations under the shadow of threat"
Iran for its part has hardened its position and has warned the United States that it rejects any dialogue conditioned by military pressure. Last night, the president of the Iranian Parliament, Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, who heads Tehran's delegation, asserted that his country will not participate in "negotiations under the shadow of threat," in reference to this new round of contacts in Pakistan.
From Tehran they also denounce that Washington has violated the ceasefire and maintains a naval blockade on its ports. Qalibaf has accused, through a message on social networks, the US president directly of wanting to turn dialogue into a "surrender table" that legitimizes future military actions.
The Iranian leader has also maintained that, during the truce, the country has not remained inactive. He assures that it has prepared for an eventual resurgence of the conflict and that it has new strategies in case the diplomatic route fails.
Meanwhile, the meeting planned in Islamabad remains surrounded by uncertainty. Although Trump assured on Monday that his vice president, JD Vance, would travel immediately to Pakistan, US sources have denied that version and place his arrival closer to the end of the truce.
Iranian state television, for its part, has assured that, for the moment, no delegation has left the country for Islamabad. According to these same sources to the Reuters agency, there is also no closed calendar for the negotiations, which cools expectations about an imminent meeting.