Trump warns US will have to 'start dropping bombs again' if Iran deal isn't reached soon
"If you don't have a deal by Wednesday when the ceasefire ends, will you extend the ceasefire?"@POTUS: "I don't know. Maybe I won't extend it — but the blockade is going to remain... Unfortunately, we'll have to start dropping bombs again." pic.twitter.com/rhC6ATfezT
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 18, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: Soon after telling a news outlet that he thinks he can trust Iran to fulfil its commitments, President Donald Trump said if a deal is not reached by Wednesday, April 22, then the US “unfortunately” will have to restart bombing Iran.
Earlier on Friday, the commander-in-chief told ABC News over a telephonic conversation that he thinks he can trust Iran as “they have had enough.”
Trump not sure about extending ceasefire
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said he doesn’t know if he would extend the ceasefire if a peace deal is not sealed by Wednesday, April 22.
After a reporter asked, "If you don't have a deal by Wednesday, when the ceasefire ends, will you extend the ceasefire?"
Trump replied, "I don't know. Maybe I won't extend it — but the blockade is going to remain... Unfortunately, we'll have to start dropping bombs again."
He made it clear that the continuation of the two-week-long ceasefire, announced on April 7, depends on the outcome of the second round of peace talks.
Trump further said there had been “some good news,” though he stopped short of giving details. “We had some pretty good news 20 minutes ago, but it seems to be going very well in the Middle East with Iran,” he said. “You’ll hear about it… I just think it’s something that should happen.”
US blockade of Hormuz to 'remain in full force and effect' until deal is reached
Earlier, addressing a gathering at the Turning Point USA event in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump spoke about Iran announcing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and reiterated that the blockading of ships to and from Iranian ports will continue until a peace deal is sealed.
"The naval blockade with the greatest navy in the world, from the greatest military the world has ever seen, we built it. During my first term, we built it... We'll remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100 per cent complete and fully signed," he said.
The president also reiterated that Iran has agreed to hand over enriched uranium to the US, saying that America will help Tehran in the move, and it will be done in a “very peaceful manner.”
"Somebody said, how are we going to get the nuclear dust? We're going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators," Trump shared. "We need the biggest excavators you can imagine. But we're going to go in together with Iran. We're going to get it. We're going to take it back home to the USA very soon."
