Iran balks at Trump's threats as his deadline for a deal approaches

Iranian authorities TV connected Tuesday rejected reports suggesting a lower-level preliminary delegation had arrived successful Pakistan's superior up of imaginable bid talks with Trump medication officials.

"Since Saturday, galore reports person circulated astir the 'departure' oregon 'arrival' of an Iranian delegation to Pakistan, and adjacent announcements of the gathering clip arsenic 'Monday afternoon' oregon 'Tuesday morning' by planetary and determination media — each of which are inaccurate," the authorities TV broadcast said.

The study past reiterated a remark by the talker of Iran's parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, who said Monday: "We bash not judge negotiations nether the shadiness of threats."

"Continuing information successful the talks depends connected a alteration successful the behaviour and positions of the Americans," the authorities TV study said. 

Security unit basal defender astatine a checkpoint adjacent the Serena Hotel successful Islamabad, Pakistan, April 21, 2026, amid heightened information measures up of anticipated U.S.-Iran bid talks. Aamir QURESHI/AFP/Getty

President Trump said precocious Monday that obtaining uranium from Iran would beryllium "long" and "difficult" successful the aftermath of past year's U.S. strikes connected Tehran's atomic sites.

"Operation Midnight Hammer was a implicit and full obliteration of the Nuclear Dust sites successful Iran," helium wrote connected his Truth Social platform, adding: "Therefore, digging it retired volition beryllium a agelong and hard process."

Mr. Trump regularly uses the word "nuclear dust" to notation to Iran's banal of enriched uranium, which the United States accuses Iran of hoarding successful bid to usage successful a atomic bomb. But helium has besides sometimes utilized it to notation to worldly near implicit from U.S. strikes connected Iran's atomic facilities successful June past year.

Mr. Trump has said Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium volition yet beryllium transferred to U.S. territory, contempt Iran's overseas ministry disputing immoderate specified plans.

Israeli officials accidental Tehran had stepped up efforts to get a atomic limb since the extremity of the 12-day warfare past June, which was launched by Israel and included U.S. bombings of 3 atomic facilities, including an enrichment plant.  

Speaking connected the John Fredericks vigor show, President Trump predicted Monday that Iran volition negociate with the U.S., but "if they don't, they're going to spot problems similar they've ne'er seen before."

He besides reiterated that helium believes the Iran warfare is "very adjacent to being over."

Mr. Trump has said his Vice President JD Vance, elder envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner volition question to Pakistan for different imaginable circular of U.S.-Iran bid talks, arsenic a two-week ceasefire betwixt the 2 countries is acceptable to expire this week. It's not wide whether Iran plans to nonstop a delegation to Islamabad.

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, formed further uncertainty connected aboriginal negotiations with the U.S. connected Monday, saying: "We bash not judge negotiations nether the shadiness of threats."

"Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to crook this negotiating array — successful his ain imaginativeness — into a array of surrender oregon to warrant renewed warmongering," Ghalibaf said connected X.

"In the past 2 weeks, we person prepared to uncover caller cards connected the battlefield."

Ghalibaf was among the Iranian officials who met with Vice President JD Vance, President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this period for nonstop talks successful Pakistan that did not effect successful a breakthrough.

In little than 48 hours this weekend, President Trump went from saying Iran has "agreed to everything," including moving with the U.S. to region its enriched uranium, to informing that if Iran doesn't motion a U.S.-backed deal, the "whole state is getting blown up." 

The president's accelerated shifts successful messaging, expressed successful telephone calls with idiosyncratic reporters and connected Truth Social, travel arsenic the two-week ceasefire successful the warfare with Iran enters its last days, and arsenic the authorities of negotiations with Iran is uncertain. 

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Only a time aft threatening that Iran would beryllium "getting blown up" unless the authorities signed a U.S.-backed deal, the president connected Monday said he's successful nary unreserved to scope an statement with Tehran. 

"The Democrats are doing everything imaginable to wounded the precise beardown presumption we are successful with respect to Iran," Mr. Trump wrote connected Truth Social, noting that Democrats "like to accidental that I promised 6 weeks to decision Iran."

The president insisted that from a subject standpoint, it was "far faster" than six weeks to decision Iran. Still, helium said, "I'm not going to fto them unreserved the United States into making a woody that is not arsenic bully arsenic it could person been." 

"I work the Fake News saying that I americium nether 'pressure' to marque a Deal," helium wrote. "THIS IS NOT TRUE! I americium nether nary unit whatsoever, although, it volition each happen, comparatively quickly! Time is not my adversary, the lone happening that matters is that we finally, aft 47 years, straighten retired the MESS that different Presidents fto hap due to the fact that they didn't person the Courage oregon Foresight to bash what had to beryllium done with respect to Iran."