Motorists ride scooters near a large political banner, depicting missiles being fired behind Iranian demonstrators in solidarity with the government, at Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026.(AFP)
Iran said on April 21 it has not yet sent a delegation for new peace talks with the United States and warned they were ready for war, as the temporary ceasefire which paused the Middle East war was set to expire.
Iran and the U.S. have accused each other of breaching the two-week truce that is set to end by on April 22, as uncertainty grows over a push to stop the war from resuming.
U.S.President Donald Trump on April 21 touted the strong negotiation position of the United States.
"We're going to end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice... We're in a very, very strong negotiating position," Trump told broadcaster CNBC.
During initial talks in Pakistan earlier this month, the highest-level discussions between the foes since the founding of the Islamic republic in 1979, analysts pointed to the seniority of the delegations as an indicator of a willingness to strike a deal.
But those talks collapsed without an agreement, with Iran since closing the Strait of Hormuz again and Trump announcing a blockade of Iranian ports.
"So far, no delegation from Iran has departed for Islamabad, Pakistan; whether it is the main or subsidiary delegation; primary or secondary," Iranian state TV said, dismissing reports suggesting otherwise.
Trump has accused Iran of firing on ships in the crucial trade route it has choked, while Tehran says the US blockade and seizure of a ship violated the ceasefire deal.
Iranian officials said they feel the Trump administration has not acted in good faith in negotiations and refused to back down from what it called excessive demands.
Its parliament speaker said the country would not accept talks "under the shadow of threats" from the U.S. leader and would "show new cards on the battlefield" if conflict resumed.
But residents in the Iranian capital who spoke to Paris-based AFP journalists say life has only got worse, squeezed by the government and the war's impact.
"This cursed ceasefire has broken us. There is no light at the end of the tunnel," said Saghar, 39.
"The situation is terrible. I don't know anyone around me who is doing well."
The truce theoretically ends overnight on April 22, though in comments to Bloomberg, Trump said the end was a day later, on April 22 evening Washington time and it would be "highly unlikely" he would extend the truce.
Trump told PBS News that Iran was "supposed to be there" at the talks in Pakistan.
"We agreed to be there," he said, warning that if the ceasefire expired "then lots of bombs start going off".
He said the U.S. blockade of Iran's ports would not end until there was a deal, in which Washington is pressing for Iranian concessions on its contested nuclear program.
Experts said Iran's signaling was part of a bid to put pressure on Washington, with its leadership wary of signing a deal after U.S. strikes last year in the middle of diplomatic efforts.
"The current standoff between the United States and Iran is no longer a clash of capabilities but rather a struggle of political endurance and bargaining leverage," Daniel Byman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in a commentary.
Trump said he was not under any time pressure despite the ceasefire deadline.
