US President Donald Trump said on Friday evening that he could end a ceasefire with Iran if a long-term agreement to end the war is not reached by Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, on the way back from Phoenix, Arizona, to Washington, Trump stressed that even if the ceasefire were extended, the blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.
"I may not extend the ceasefire, but the blockade will remain. That means we have a blockade and, unfortunately, we will have to start bombing again," the US president said.
Trump also pointed out that there were some positive developments regarding Iran, but he did not want to provide details.
"We had some pretty good news 20 minutes ago, but things seem to be going very well in the Middle East when it comes to Iran," Trump told reporters on the plane.
When asked to clarify what kind of news this was, he replied that he believed that events would develop in the desired direction.
"You'll hear about it. I think it's something that needs to happen and it makes sense for it to happen. We'll see what happens, but I believe it will," he said.
The American president also addressed relations with China, stating that that country's President Xi Jinping is very satisfied with the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
"President Xi is very happy that the Strait of Hormuz is open or rapidly opening. Our meeting in China will be special and potentially historic," Trump announced on the social network Truth Social.
He added that he expects significant progress to be made during that meeting.
Speaking about negotiations with Iran, Trump emphasized that no monetary transactions would be part of a potential agreement, and assessed that the differences between the two sides were not large.
"I don't think there are too many significant differences. Negotiations will continue over the weekend," the US president said.
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