President Trump has not agreed to a formal extension of the ceasefire with Iran, but the U.S. is engaging with Pakistani mediators and is open to a second round of talks in Islamabad, the White House said Wednesday.
The administration pointed to “productive and ongoing” conversations as Mr. Trump described the war as “close to over” and tightened the American military’s grip on oil traffic near the Strait of Hormuz.
“We feel good about the prospects of a deal,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “It’s obviously in the best interests of Iran to meet the president’s demands.”
The U.S. and Israel have pounded Iran with bombs and missiles for six weeks in an attempt to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Mr. Trump also wants to constrain Iran’s missile program and its ability to fund terror proxies in the region.
Both sides are operating under a two-week ceasefire that expires on Tuesday, heaping pressure on negotiators to restart talks in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s army chief, Syed Asim Munir, traveled to Iran to meet with negotiators and set the table for another round of talks with the U.S.
SEE ALSO: Trump says Iran war is ‘very close’ to over, says Iranians want a deal
The White House praised Pakistani efforts.
“We remain very much engaged in these negotiations, in these talks,” Ms. Leavitt said. “These conversations are productive and ongoing, and that’s where we are right now.”
Tensions remained high in the Gulf region and Strait of Hormuz, despite signs of progress.
A top Iranian commander said Tehran might extend its grip on maritime traffic to other parts.
“If the aggressive and terrorist America continues its unlawful actions of maritime blockade in the region and creates insecurity for Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers, this action will be considered a prelude to violating the ceasefire, and the powerful Armed Forces of Iran will not allow any kind of export and import to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea,” Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi said.
Mr. Trump this week responded to Iran’s clampdown on oil traffic by enforcing a blockade on ships heading to and from Iran. He wants to squeeze its leaders, economically, and punish it for restricting oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that no vessels had bypassed American forces during the first 48 hours of the blockade.
It said nine vessels complied with U.S. demands to turn around and return to Iranian ports.
Ships heading to non-Iranian ports are allowed to pass. A Malta-flagged ship became the first crude oil carrier to travel west through the strait. It was headed for Basra, Iraq.
Mr. Trump said the U.S. has achieved most of its military aims, and that Iran wants to make a deal “badly.”
“I think it’s close to over, yeah. I view it as very close to over,” Mr. Trump told Fox Business’s “Mornings with Maria” in a clip posted Wednesday.
But the U.S. is sending 6,000 more troops to the region aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, with several warships escorting it, according to The Washington Post.
The newspaper reported that 4,200 personnel with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Corps task force, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, would join them later in the month.
The economic fallout from the war affects every corner of the globe. Asian and European leaders are bemoaning high oil prices and energy supply shortfalls, and want to see an end to the conflict.
Mr. Trump said he had no choice but to attack Iran on Feb. 28.
“I had to divert because if I didn’t do that, right now, you’d have Iran with a nuclear weapon,” he told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. “And if they had a nuclear weapon, you’d be calling everybody over there ’sir,’ and you don’t want to do that.”
The president said the economic pain from the war would be short-lived and worth it.
The price of oil, he said, is “going to come dropping down very big as soon as this is over.”
The national average price of a gallon of gasoline stood at $4.10 on Wednesday, up from around $3 at the start of the war.
Mr. Trump predicted that gas prices would be quite low again by the midterm elections, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed his optimism.
“That’s going to be up to how the negotiations go,” Mr. Bessent said. “I’m optimistic that during the summer we will see gas with a 3 in front of it sooner rather than later.”
U.S. stocks have been on a rollercoaster ride since the war began, though the S&P 500 hit a new record on Wednesday as investors shook off concerns about the conflict.
Markets improved when the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on April 7.
Before the pause, Mr. Trump had threatened earlier this month to strike Iran’s power plants, bridges and other infrastructure if it did not come to the negotiating table.
Vice President J.D. Vance was unable to reach a deal with the Iranian during an initial round of talks in Islamabad over the weekend, so Mr. Trump is using the threat of force to keep pressure on Tehran.
“We could take out every one of their bridges in one hour. We could take out every one of their power plants in one hour,” he said. “We don’t want to do that.”
The administration delivered an economic blow on Wednesday to an alleged Iranian oil-smuggling network led by oil shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani.
The Treasury Department sanctioned more than two dozen individuals, companies and vessels operating within the network.
“Financial institutions should be on notice that Treasury will leverage all tools and authorities, including secondary sanctions, against those that continue to support Tehran’s terrorist activities,” Mr. Bessent said.
Also on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping personally denied a report that Beijing was supplying weapons to Iran, a strategic partner to China.
“I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that, essentially, he’s not doing that,” Mr. Trump said in the Fox Business interview taped Tuesday and aired Wednesday.
The president, who is scheduled to visit Mr. Xi in China in early May, said Beijing is pleased that U.S. forces are working to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and keep oil flowing.
“President Xi will give me a big, fat hug when I get there in a few weeks,” Mr. Trump wrote. “We are working together smartly and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting???”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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