President Trump on Monday dismissed that he is under "pressure" to cut a peace deal with Iran, as the end of the two-week ceasefire rapidly approaches.
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that he "read the Fake News saying that I am under 'pressure'" to reach a deal with the Iranian regime.
"THIS IS NOT TRUE! I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly! Time is not my adversary, the only thing that matters is that we finally, after 47 years, straighten out the MESS that other Presidents let happen because they didn't have the Courage or Foresight to do what had to be done with respect to Iran," the president added.
Administration officials are set to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, this week for talks with Iranian counterparts. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Hill on Sunday that Vice President Vance will lead the U.S. delegation, which also includes U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.
The Hill has reached out to Vance's office for clarification on when he will depart for Islamabad.
This comes as Axios reported Monday that Trump is "over" the war with Iran, which began with joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of over a thousand Iranian civilians and multiple U.S. service members, along with a global spike in energy prices due to Iran restricting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
"He wants it done," an administration official told Axios. "He doesn't like Iran holding [its control of the strait] over the Middle East. He doesn't like them holding this over our heads. He doesn't want to fight anymore. But he will if he feels he has to."
The president also told Bloomberg on Monday that the ceasefire expires on "Wednesday evening Washington time." He also told the outlet that he is "highly unlikely" to extend it if his administration and Iranian officials cannot reach a deal.
If the sides come to an agreement, Trump predicted Monday it would be "FAR BETTER" than the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a deal that the Obama administration reached with Tehran and various other governments to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
"If a Deal happens under 'TRUMP,' it will guarantee Peace, Security, and Safety, not only for Israel and the Middle East,but for Europe, America,and everywhere else," the president wrote on Truth Social."It will be something that the entire World will be proud of,instead of the years of Embarrassment and Humiliation that we have been forced to suffer due to incompetent and cowardly leadership!"