Trump accuses Iran of 'numerous' ceasefire violations as deadline looms, Pakistan talks uncertain
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran violated the ceasefire "numerous times" as the deadline looms. Vice President JD Vance was supposed to depart for the next round of negotiations in Pakistan but has since gone to the White House for policy meetings. His planned departure is unclear.
Trump says he expects 'to be bombing' as ceasefire deadline looms, US military 'raring to go'
President Donald Trump said in a radio interview with CNBC on Tuesday morning that the U.S. was in a "very strong negotiating position" as the ceasefire deadline looms but expects to be bombing Iran again soon.
Asked whether he needs at least the prospects for a signed deal Tuesday or Wednesday or else he would resume bombing Iran, Trump responded, "Well, I expect to be bombing, because I think that's a better attitude to go in with."
"But, you know, we're ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go. They are absolutely incredible,” Trump said. "We have the most powerful military in the world, and everybody knows it."
Trump said the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports has been a "tremendous success" regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz.
"Iran can get themselves on a very good footing if they make a deal. They can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again, they have incredible people. But they seem to be bloodthirsty. They're led by some very, very, unfortunately tough people," Trump said. "And I don't mean tough in a good way. I think it's very negative for the country because we're much tougher than they are. Like, not even close. But they have to use reason and they have to use common sense, and they can get themselves into a great position to make themselves into a great country, but a legitimate country, not a country based on death and horror.”
Trump told CNBC that the U.S. military has been restocking during the ceasefire.
"You know, they're trying to move the missiles because we've obliterated most of their missiles and they're trying to move their missiles around, even during the cease fire, which I think was a good thing because we're totally loaded up. We have so much ammo, we have so much of everything that we've like -- much, much more powerful than it was 4 or 5 weeks ago. So we've used this to restock, and they probably have done a little bit of restock," he said.
"And we caught a ship yesterday that had some things on it, which wasn't very nice. A gift from China, perhaps? I don't know, but I was a little surprised," Trump said about the capture of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Monday.
Israel accuses Hezbollah of ‘blatant’ ceasefire violation
The Israel Defense Forces accused the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah of violating the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire on Tuesday.
“Hezbollah launched several rockets toward IDF soldiers operating south of the Forward Defense Line, in the area of Rab Thalathin in southern Lebanon. In response, the IDF struck the launcher from which the rockets were launched,” the IDF said.
“The launches constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” it added.
President Donald Trump had announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon last week.
Pakistan still waiting for Iran to confirm attendance for upcoming talks in Islamabad: official
Pakistan’s Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar said Tuesday that Pakistan is still awaiting confirmation that Iran will attend expected peace talks with the U.S. in Islamabad.
“Formal response from Iranian side about confirmation of delegation to attend Islamabad Peace Talks is still awaited,” Tarar wrote on X, saying the current ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran expires Wednesday morning at 4:50 a.m. local time in Pakistan.
“Decision from Iran to attend the talks before the end of two weeks ceasefire is critical,” he added. “Pakistan has made sincere efforts to convince the Iranian leadership to participate in the second round of talks and these efforts continue.”
Vice President JD Vance was supposed to depart for negotiations in Pakistan but has since gone to the White House on Tuesday for policy meetings. His planned departure is unclear.
Son of kidnapped CIA contractor alleges Iranian official tied to case attended US talks
The son of America’s longest-held hostage said an Iranian tied to his father’s kidnapping took part in the first round of peace talks.
Dan Levinson, son of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, argued it’s a "slap in the face" to his family to have the official involved in talks as the United States and Iran teeter on the edge of a fragile ceasefire.
"There’s only a few people in the world who know exactly what happened to my dad, who were involved in what happened to my dad. The FBI identified five of them," Levinson said on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday.
"One of them was killed in the initial airstrikes at the start of this conflict. And another one is hiding in plain sight," he added.
Robert Levinson is the longest-held hostage in U.S. history after vanishing in 2007 on Kish Island. He was working as a CIA contractor at the time of his disappearance. In 2020, U.S. officials announced they believed he had died in Iranian custody, though his remains were never recovered.
Dan Levinson is now calling out Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran's current ambassador to Pakistan, who took part in the first round of high-level talks in Islamabad. Levinson said Amiri Moghadam was one of several individuals identified as having a direct role in his father's abduction nearly two decades ago.
"It’s a slap in the face to our family, slap in the face to the United States of America," Levinson said, adding, "It hurts their [Pakistan’s] credibility as an independent intermediary between the two countries because they're allowing this man to take part in all of this."
Vance's Pakistan trip uncertain as VP heads to White House for policy meetings
Vice President JD Vance, who was supposed to take off for Islamabad, Pakistan, for the next round of U.S.-Iran negotiations, is now headed to the White House Tuesday for a meeting, a White House official told Fox News.
It's unclear if and when Vance may be departing. The official said additional policy meetings are taking place at the White House of which the vice president will participate in.
The White House said over the weekend that Vance will lead the U.S. delegation to Pakistan, joined by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law. Trump earlier signaled the next round of face-to-face negotiations would begin late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
Vance, Witkoff and Kushner last negotiated with an Iranian delegation in Pakistan on April 11, but no deal was reached. Iran suggested its delegation would not negotiate with the U.S. delegation this time around even if they came back to Islamabad.
Fox News' Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.
US intel on 'high alert' over China, Russia potentially supplying Iran with military equipment
Fox News contributor and former CIA station chief Dan Hoffman told "America's Newsroom" on Tuesday that "The U.S. intelligence community is on high alert tracking the extent to which Russia and China might be providing Iran with military equipment."
"China reportedly provided MANPADs and dual-use equipment for use in Iranian drones and ballistic missiles. So that is something we have to be keenly aware of, tracking and then seeking to stop with that blockade that we've imposed," Hoffman said.
MANPADS are shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles designed to target low-flying aircraft. U.S. officials believe a similar type of weapon was likely used to bring down an American F-15E fighter jet over Iran earlier in April, marking the first loss of a manned U.S. aircraft in Iran in the conflict.
Hoffman also reacted to a post on X from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who wrote "awesome" in response to a report claiming that at least 26 Iranian shadow fleet vessels bypassed the U.S. blockade.
"We are in the war, I think we should be rooting for the home team," Hoffman told "America's Newsroom."
Murphy later issued a statement saying the post was "sarcasm" and further criticized President Donald Trump's handling of the Iran conflict.
Fox News' Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
White House rips Murphy's 'un-American' X post on Iran: 'Rooting against the United States Military'
White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly condemned "disgusting" and "anti-American" behavior from Sen. Chris Murphy on Tuesday after the Connecticut Democrat reacted to an Iranian propaganda report claiming that at least 26 Iranian shadow fleet vessels bypassed the U.S. blockade.
“Awesome,” Murphy wrote on X, responding to the report.
"Why is a Democrat Senator pushing (false) Iranian propaganda and rooting against the United States Military? Disgusting, anti-American behavior from a sitting Member of Congress," Kelly said in response to Murphy's post.
A spokesperson for Murphy later issued a statement claiming, “The tweet was sarcasm."
"Chris obviously thinks it’s terrible that Donald Trump continues to mishandle every aspect of a war he started but clearly has no strategy to end," the statement added.
Murphy himself later took to X and wrote, "Ok Twitter, I can’t believe I need to clarify this but obviously Trump’s bungled mismanagement of this war is not 'awesome.' As I have said a million times here, it’s a disaster and he should end the war immediately. My tweet was something called 'sarcasm.'"
Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst told "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday morning that there is "no evidence" that Iranian shadow fleet vessels have made it through the U.S. blockade.
Heightened security seen in Islamabad, Pakistan, ahead of expected US-Iran talks
An increased security presence is visible in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday ahead of the next round of U.S.-Iran negotiations, according to Fox News correspondent Matt Finn.
“Earlier today, I saw a police blockade where armed officers were screening every car that was passing through. There is a red zone that has been created to form a perimeter around the area where the high stakes talks are expected,” Finn told “America’s Newsroom.”
The White House said this weekend that Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. delegation to Pakistan, joined by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law.
Iranian leadership has gone as far as to declare they won't participate in the Islamabad peace talks with the U.S., Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday.
Fox News Digital's Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.
Trump calls for release of Iranian women ahead of peace talks
President Donald Trump called for the release of eight Iranian women ahead of anticipated U.S.-Iran peace talks in Pakistan.
“To the Iranian leaders, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women. I am sure that they will respect the fact that you did so. Please do them no harm!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Would be a great start to our negotiations!!!” Trump added.
The women were identified in online posts as Bita Hemmati, Golnaz Naraghi, Venus Hossein Nejad, Panah Movahedi, Ensieh Nejati, Mahboubeh Shabani and Diana Taher Abadi.
Trump shared a screenshot of a post by UPenn alumnus Eyal Yakoby, an advocate against campus antisemitism who shared images of eight women he said the Islamic Republic was preparing to hang. "Not a word from the international community or so-called human rights organizations," Yakoby wrote.
Trump says he’s anticipating a ‘great deal’ with Iran
President Donald Trump said in an interview Tuesday that he thinks “we're going to end up with a great deal” with Iran ahead of anticipated talks in Pakistan.
“I think they have no choice. We've taken out their navy. We've taken out their air force. We've taken out their leaders, frankly, which does complicate things in one way. But these leaders are much more rational. It is regime change, no matter what you want to call it, which is not something I said I was going to do, but I've done it, indirectly maybe, but I've done it,” Trump said in a phone call to CNBC.
“And I think we're in a very strong negotiating position to do what other presidents should have done during a 47-year period. We have 47 years where these bloodthirsty people have been killing a lot of soldiers, a lot of our soldiers and a lot of other people,” Trump said about the Iranian regime.
“And the blockade has been a tremendous success. They said two days ago, ‘we will open the strait'. I said, ‘no, we're not going to open the strait until we have a final deal,” Trump also said to CNBC. “We totally control the strait. Just so you understand, for all the fake news out there.”
US-Iran standoff is entering a 'critical stage,' China says
Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Tuesday that the ongoing standoff between the U.S. and Iran "is at a critical stage of whether the conflict could end or not."
"In times like this, it is more imperative than ever that all sides show utmost sincerity, stick to the direction of political settlement, keep up the momentum for ceasefire and negotiation, and work for the early restoration of normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz and peace and stability in the Middle East and Gulf region," Guo told reporters in a press briefing.
"Now that the window for peace has been opened, favorable conditions need to be created to end the war at an early date," he also said.
Guo previously called the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports a "dangerous and irresponsible move."
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard sidelines president as military grip expands
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite branch of the Iranian armed forces, has blocked President Masoud Pezeshkian’s presidential appointments and erected what sources described as a security cordon around Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, a report published Tuesday by Iran International said.
The IRGC effectively has assumed control over key state functions, the report claimed.
"It was always a matter of when, not if, the IRGC was going to step forward even more than it has in the last three decades," Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.
Pezeshkian has reached a "complete political deadlock" as tensions between his administration and the military leadership deepen, according to the report.
The reported shift could have major consequences far beyond Iran.
Analysts say a more powerful IRGC likely would mean a more confrontational Iran, less willing to compromise in talks with Washington and more inclined to continue military escalation across the region. With U.S.-Iran negotiations already faltering and uncertainty growing over whether Tehran will even send negotiators to the next round of talks, the rise of the Revolutionary Guard raises fresh doubts about who actually is making decisions in Iran and whether any civilian official can still speak for the regime.
"But it’s a mistake to assume this is some sort of coup," Ben Taleblu said. "This has been the process in Iran for years now, as the regime has chosen conflict over cooperation and emboldened its security forces at every juncture."
Trump accuses Iran of multiple ceasefire violations
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that "Iran has Violated the Cease Fire numerous times!"
Trump made the remark on Truth Social as the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, which went into effect on April 8, is set to expire on Wednesday.
A U.S. delegation is expected to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan for another round of negotiations with Iran, a source familiar with the plans previously told Fox News Digital.
Iranian state television on Tuesday posted a message claiming “no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad... so far," according to The Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrat senator cheers report that Iranian ships made it past US blockade: ‘Awesome’
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., cheered on a report claiming that more than two dozen Iranian shadow fleet ships have made it past a U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports in the Middle East.
The report from Lloyd’s List states that “While the U.S. military says it has turned around over 20 vessels and ‘completely halted’ Iranian trade, Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows a steady flow of shadow fleet traffic in and out of the Middle East Gulf.”
“Awesome,” Murphy wrote on X in response to the report.
Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst told "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday morning that there is "no evidence" that Iranian shadow fleet vessels have made it through the U.S. blockade.
A spokesperson for Murphy clarified to Jewish Insider, “The tweet was sarcasm. Chris obviously thinks it’s terrible that Donald Trump continues to mishandle every aspect of a war he started but clearly has no strategy to end.”
A shadow fleet is comprised of ships used to evade international sanctions.
Murphy, a critic of President Donald Trump, told a crowd at the Global Progressive Mobilization conference over the weekend in Barcelona, Spain, that “Donald Trump and our country is trying to end our democracy.”
“We are not on the verge of a totalitarian takeover. We are in the middle of it,” Murphy said.
Iran threatens 'new cards' on battlefield as ceasefire wanes
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf threatened to "reveal new cards on the battlefield" in a Monday evening social media post just days before the agreed ceasefire between the United States and Iran is set to expire.
"Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table — in his own imagination — into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering," Ghalibaf wrote on X.
"We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield," he concluded.
Ghalibaf led the Iranian delegation in Islamabad during April 11 peace talks with a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance. That meeting happened while a two-week ceasefire, mediated by Pakistan, was in effect. The ceasefire, announced on April 8, is set to expire on Wednesday.
Vance is now expected to land in Pakistan again Tuesday to lead a second round of talks ahead of the deadline, according to PBS.
While Vance will hope to reach a long-term peace deal, Iran has signaled intransigence. Ghalibaf's warning came two days after the Islamic Republic announced Saturday it was reimposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a previously announced decision to open the key waterway up.
Trump says he’s ‘highly unlikely’ to extend fragile Iran ceasefire as clock ticks down
President Donald Trump said that it’s “highly unlikely” he will extend the current U.S.-Iran ceasefire, which is set to end on Wednesday.
The 2-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was reached on April 7, and went into effect the following day.
Trump told Bloomberg on Monday that the ceasefire expires “Wednesday evening Washington time” and it’s “highly unlikely that I’d extend it” if no deal is reached with Iran before then.
“I’m not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. We’ve got all the time in the world,” Trump also told Bloomberg.
He said Iran “desperately” wants the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened, but “I’m not opening it until a deal is signed.”
A U.S. delegation planned to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday for another round of face-to-face peace talks with Iran, a source familiar with the plans told Fox News Digital.
The White House said this weekend that Vice President JD Vance will lead the delegation, joined by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law.
Trump told Bloomberg that the negotiations will take place “either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.”
“There’s going to be a meeting. They want a meeting, and they should want a meeting. And it can work out well,” Trump also said to Bloomberg about Iran.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Pat Ward contributed to this report.
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