With the Iran war ceasefire set to expire, Iranian officials are reportedly refusing to meet U.S. officials, and President Donald J. Trump is warning the U.S. military is “raring to go.”
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump accused Iran of violating its ceasefire agreement with the U.S. and Israel “numerous times” on Tuesday, just one day before it is set to expire. Iranian officials are reportedly refusing to meet U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance in Pakistan for peace talks, with Tehran threatening to “reveal new cards on the battlefield” if the war resumes. 📍 WHEN & WHERE: The ceasefire is set to expire on Wednesday at 8:00 PM ET; Vice President Vance is expected to arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan, before the deadline. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with. But we’re ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go,” Trump told CNBC on Tuesday morning. 📺 DETAIL: While Pakistani mediators claim both sides will attend talks in Islamabad, Iran is signaling it will not meet with U.S. negotiators “under threat.” Nevertheless, President Trump has stated the Islamic Republic will ultimately have “no choice but to send” representatives, adding, “I think is that we’re going to end up with a great deal.” However, he has also said he does not want to extend the current ceasefire if a deal is not reached before the deadline, saying, he “expect[s] to be bombing” and that “the military is raring to go.” 🎯 IMPACT: The Iran war has caused oil and gas prices to surge, precipitating a jet fuel crisis as well as increasing prices at the pumps. It has also impacted fertilizer supplies. Iran and the U.S. are dueling over the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world’s energy and fertilizer supplies flow, with uncertainty over whether Iran is truly lifting its blockade of the strait and the U.S. blockading Iranian ships in turn. U.S. forces boarded an Iran-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean overnight, with the Pentagon warning on Tuesday morning that it “will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran—anywhere they operate.” |
Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the stateless sanctioned M/T Tifani without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.⁰⁰As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit… pic.twitter.com/EGwDe3dBI3
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) April 21, 2026
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