Donald Trump has opened the door to "blowing up the rest of Iran" - just hours after confirming he would extend a ceasefire with the country.
The US President said Iran "doesn't want the Strait of Hormuz closed - they want it open so they can make $500million a day".
"They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED," he added.
Then, Mr Trump suggested there could never be a deal with Iran while the strait is open "unless we blow up the rest of their country".
"People approached me four days ago, saying: 'Sir, Iran wants to open up the strait, immediately.' But if we do that, there can never be a deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their country, their leaders included," he said.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
He went on to add: "Iran is collapsing financially! They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately - starving for cash! Losing $500million a day. Military and police complaining that they are not getting paid. SOS!!!"
Last night, the President confirmed he was acting at the request of Pakistan to hold off attacks until Iranian leaders and representatives could come up with what he called a unified proposal.
That in itself came just hours after he told CNBC that Washington and Tehran would reach a "great deal".
Asked if he would back prolonging the truce to buy more time for the talks to take place, the US President said: "Well, I don’t want to do that."
President Donald Trump has seemingly u-turned over the talks
|GETTY
On Truth Social post, Mr Trump said he had directed US forces to continue the blockade and, "in all other respects, remain ready and able".
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official said Tehran could attend talks with the US in Pakistan if Washington abandoned its policy of "pressure and threats".
The official said Pakistan was continuing its efforts to persuade the United States to lift its naval blockade and release the Iranian-flagged container ship Touska, which was boarded and seized by US forces on Sunday, and its crew.
He accused Washington of "creating new obstacles every day instead of resolving the differences".
Vice President JD Vance, who was due to lead the US delegation, did not board a flight for Islamabad, where the centre of the city has been locked down and a luxury hotel has been cleared out to host the talks.
LATEST FROM IRAN:
Tehran has been bombed by US-Israel forces
|GETTY
A White House official said Mr Vance would participate in additional meetings in Washington.
Mr Trump initially announced a ceasefire deal would last two weeks from the evening of Tuesday, April 7, in Washington.
However, he said this week that it runs until the evening of Wednesday, April 22, effectively giving it an extra 24 hours.
A Pakistani source involved in the talks also said it would expire at 8 pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, which is 3.30am Thursday in Iran.
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has been tipped as Tehran’s chief negotiator, has accused the US President of seeking to turn the negotiating table into a "table of surrender".
He said: "We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” he wrote in an X post and said Iran was preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield"
Life carries on Iran as the ceasefire tentatively holds
|GETTY
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer held talks with ministers and officials on the UK's work to ease pressures on the public caused by the conflict.
The Middle East Response Committee discussed ongoing contingency planning such as work with fuel suppliers, airlines and international counterparts, a Government spokesman said.
Thousands of people have been killed since the war began in countries across the Middle East, and the global economy has been shaken by the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for oil and gas.
Mr Trump said he would continue the US Navy's blockade of Iran's ports and shore, which Iran's leaders have said is an act of war, and became a sticking point as the two countries wavered this week on whether to send negotiators to a second round of peace talks in Islamabad.
There appeared to be no immediate comment on Trump's announcement, which came on Tuesday mid-afternoon Washington time, from Iran, Israel or Pakistan.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter