Iran peace talks hang in the balance as Trump says ceasefire extension now highly unlikely

Donald Trump said an extension of the fragile two week ceasefire with Iran is now “highly unlikely” as peace talks in Pakistan hang in the balance.Iran has yet to commit to negotiations in Islamabad, saying it won’t attend unless the US Navy lifts its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. There was also confusion over whether US Vice President JD Vance was on his way to the talks.The ceasefire deal runs out on Wednesday evening and Trump told Bloomberg he did not think it would be extended, nor would he be rushed into “making a bad deal”.He warned that if a deal had not been reached by then, “lots of bombs start going off”, he told PBS News. Stockmarkets in Europe fell on Monday as uncertainty over peace talks continued.Earlier, Trump insisted that Israel “never talked me into the war” in an online tirade, following claims that Benjamin Netanyahu influenced his decision and mounting right-wing criticism over the conflict.Donald Trump told the New York Post that JD Vance (right) was heading to Pakistan and would arrive on Monday night. Sources later told CNN he was expected on Tuesday (Getty)“Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did,” he wrote on social media on Monday.With just hours left until the ceasefire expires, Trump sent a barrage of mixed messages, inisisting that “the results in Iran will be amazing” in a post, a day after threatening to blow up civilian infrastructure unless the regime makes a deal.Hopes of a diplomatic resolution were mired in confusion as conflicting reports emerged about JD Vance’s whereabouts. Insiders told CNN that the vice president, expected to attend make-or-break talks in Pakistan, was still in Washington and would not travel until Tuesday, after Trump told the New York Post he was already en route.It was also unclear who he would be flying to meet, as Iran put off confirming its attendance and vowed retaliation after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that had tried to run its blockade.Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on social media that the US had been “unconstructive and contradictory” in its signalling, and that Iran would not “submit to force”.Behind the scenes, a senior Iranian source told the Reuters news agency that Tehran was still reviewing its participation but had not yet made a decision. In meetings with public workers in Tehran, Pezeshkian also laid on the importance of ending the war, while resisting what he called “excessive demands”.The USS Spruance, a Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer, intercepts an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Arabian Sea (Reuters)With the ceasefire set to expire at 1am UK time on Wednesday, Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the two sides remain far apart on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz, with the US blockade on ships travelling to or from Iran's coast causing new friction on the water.US Central Command said on Monday that the military has told 27 vessels to turn around or go back to an Iranian port since it imposed it blockade last week. That came as the military said it had fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday following a six-hour standoff, disabling its engines.Iran's military said the ship had been travelling from China and accused the US of “armed piracy”, according to state media. They said they were ready to confront US forces over the “blatant aggression”, but were constrained by the presence of crew members’ families on board.Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that Washington had shown it was “not serious” about pursuing the diplomatic process, and that Tehran would not change its demands. He said the US was still “insisting on some unreasonable and unrealistic positions”.In an effort to resolve the crisis, Pakistan’s top mediator, Field Marshal Asim Munir, told Donald Trump that the blockade was proving an obstacle to talks, and Trump said he would consider the advice, a security source told Reuters. Trump until now has been adamant that the blockade “is going to remain”.Sailors and Marines aboard dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) conduct blockade operations in the Arabian Sea (US Centcom)Oil prices rose around 5% as traders remained fearful that the ceasefire would collapse. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a virtual standstill with just three crossings in the space of 12 hours, according to shipping data.Despite the uncertainty around whether talks will go ahead, Pakistan was still making preparations to host both delegations in Islamabad, deploying nearly 20,000 security personnel across the city.Israel meanwhile told residents of south Lebanon to stay out of a belt of territory at the border and not to approach the area of the Litani River, entrenching its grip over southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah. Sources told Reuters that Israeli and Lebanese representative will hold talks in Washington on Thursday, in what would be the second round of ambassador-level talks between the two countries.