Trump offers mixed messages about path ahead for US war against Iran - AP News

U.S. President Donald Trump is giving mixed messages about the path ahead for the U.S. war with Iran. Trump made a series of media interviews and social media posts on Monday, insisting he’s in no rush to end the war while also expressing confidence that peace negotiations with Tehran will soon resume in Pakistan. A two-week ceasefire between the two countries is set to expire on Wednesday. Trump said he expects the negotiation team lead by Vice President JD Vance to return to Pakistan for more talks. Iran has said there are no plans yet to attend the talks with the United States.

Trump offers mixed messages about path ahead for US war against Iran

The United States said it forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to pass its naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first such interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get around a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first such interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Iran’s joint military command said Tehran will respond soon and called the U.S. seizure an act of piracy.

Pakistani authorities have begun tightening security in the capital, Islamabad, ahead of a possible second round of ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran.

Pakistani authorities on Sunday prepared to host a second round of talks between Iran and the United States, despite questions about whether the negotiations will take place. Authorities deployed troops at checkpoints, closed tourist sites and instructed major hotels to limit bookings to ensure availability.

An army soldier, left, walks as police officer drives motorcycle on an empty road ahead of second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-32 plane approaches landing at Nur Khan airbase ahead of second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ehsan Shahzad)

Displaced people cross a destroyed bridge as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Tayr Felsay village, southern Lebanon, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A man on his scooter passes next to an Iranian flag placed in front of a destroyed building, following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A woman talks on her cellphone as she walks past a billboard showing Rais Ali Delvari, a national hero in an early 1900 uprising against British forces in southern Iran in the Persian Gulf, right, and the late Revolutionary Guard’s navy chief Alireza Tangsiri, who was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strike in late March 2026, commanding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, on a building at a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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