WASHINGTON: The White House said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump has not set any deadline for Iran to present a peace proposal.
“The president has not set a firm deadline to receive an Iranian proposal, unlike some of the reporting I’ve seen today. Ultimately, the timeline will be dictated by the commander in chief,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said while speaking to journalists.
“There’s a ceasefire with the military and kinetic strikes, but Operation Economic Fury continues,” she said.
.@PressSec on Iran: “There’s a ceasefire with the military and kinetic strikes, but Operation Economic Fury continues and… we are completely strangling their economy through this blockade. They’re losing $500M/day… He’s satisfied with that as we await their response.” pic.twitter.com/SdtLveF1ZH
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 22, 2026
“The president chose to extend the ceasefire because it’s Iran who needs to get their act together,” she told journalists.
She added that Washington has remained consistent in clearly outlining its expectations for Tehran.
“The United States and President Donald Trump have been very clear in our demands, and our red lines, and what we need to see… from the very beginning,” she said.
.@PressSec: “The President chose to extend the ceasefire because it’s Iran who needs to get their act together. The United States and @POTUS have been very clear in our demands, and our red lines, and what we need to see… from the very beginning.” pic.twitter.com/DWvUeiFWm5
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 22, 2026
Meanwhile, in a Fox News interview, Karoline Leavitt said that President Trump has clearly outlined his red lines on Iran, stressing that Tehran must not acquire a nuclear weapon and must hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium.
She further said Iran taking control of two ships is not a violation of the truce terms because “these were not US or Israeli ships, these were two international vessels.
Leavitt said Trump’s blockade remains in place “on ships coming to and from Iranian ports” and that the seizure by Iranian forces “is piracy that we are seeing on display.”
Trump says US-Iran talks on Friday
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that a second round of talks between the United States and Iran could take place “as soon as Friday”.
Speaking to The New York Post, Trump said “good news” regarding renewed negotiations may be coming as soon as Friday, adding that a follow-up round of talks was under consideration.
Sources, cited by The New York Post, touted positive Pakistani mediation efforts with Tehran, renewing the possibility of further peace talks within the next “36 to 72 hours.”
About a possible breakthrough in peace talks, Trump, in a text message to The New York Post, said: “It’s possible! President DJT.”
On Tuesday, Trump said that he was extending the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran time to formulate a unified response to his offer for a wider peace deal.
Pakistan, which has acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, has urged both sides to sit down again for a new round of direct talks after brokering the first ceasefire agreement in Islamabad in early April.
Iran welcomes dialogue with US
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has welcomed dialogue and diplomatic engagement with the US adding that breach of commitments and threats are the main obstacle to talks.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always welcomed and continues to welcome dialogue and agreement. Bad faith, siege, and threats are the main obstacles to genuine negotiation,” he said in a post on X.
Earlier, Iran’s Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, one of Iran’s leading negotiators in a post on social media said, “a complete ceasefire only makes sense if it’s not violated” by America’s naval blockade of Iranian vessels off the Strait of Hormuz.
“Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such a flagrant breach of the ceasefire,” said Ghalibaf.
