Trump willing to meet Iran leaders, says ceasefire extension 'highly unlikely'

U.S. President Donald Trump said he is willing to meet with senior Iranian leaders if a breakthrough is reached in negotiations, while telling The New York Post that a ceasefire extension is "highly unlikely" as the US-Iran truce is set to expire on Wednesday evening.

"I have no problem meeting them," Trump told The Post on Monday. "If they want to meet, and we have some very capable people, but I have no problem meeting them."

Trump signaled that Iran must come to the table for serious discussion just hours after Tehran claimed it would not meet the American delegation in Islamabad. "We're supposed to have the talks," he said. "So I would assume at this point nobody's playing games."

The president confirmed that Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and adviser Jared Kushner are heading to Islamabad to prepare for the meetings, with the delegation set to arrive Wednesday.

Trump told Bloomberg he expects fighting to resume if no deal is made by the deadline. At the heart of the negotiations is one non-negotiable demand: Iran must abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons. "Get rid of their nuclear weapons. That's all very simple," he said. "There will be no nuclear weapon."

When asked about consequences if Tehran refuses to comply, Trump declined to specify but said: "You can imagine. It wouldn't be pretty." He has previously threatened to destroy all Iranian bridges and power plants if the regime does not agree to a peace deal.

Iran accused the Trump administration of making "excessive demands" and shifting positions, claiming it would not join this week's peace talks. However, Pakistani sources suggested Tehran's hard stance may be "posturing to extract maximum advantage when the second round happens."