A two-week ceasefire is about to expire, and it’s not clear if Tehran will show up for a second round of talks
2-MIN READ2-MIN2 ListenOrange WangPublished: 8:40am, 21 Apr 2026Updated: 8:50am, 21 Apr 2026As the clock ticks down to the end of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, all eyes are on whether they can return to the negotiating table in Pakistan, while the stand-off in the Strait of Hormuz continues.
These are the main takeaways from what happened overnight.
What did Trump say?
US President Donald Trump defended his war against Iran in a series of social media posts. He said he would not lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz “until there is a ‘DEAL’”.Advertisement
“I read the Fake News saying that I am under “pressure” to make a Deal. THIS IS NOT TRUE! I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly! Time is not my adversary.”
He also argued that “the DEAL that we are making with Iran will be FAR BETTER than the JCPOA”, referring to the Iran nuclear agreement signed during the Barack Obama administration in 2015.
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He told Bloomberg News that he was “highly unlikely” to renew the two-week ceasefire, which expires at 8pm on Tuesday, US Eastern Time (8am on Wednesday in Hong Kong).
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