By Bonface Mulyungi

US President Donald Trump said Monday it is “highly unlikely” he would extend a two-week ceasefire with Iran if a deal is not reached before it ends this week, according to a Bloomberg report.

The Strait of Hormuz would remain blocked until a peace agreement is finalised, Trump said in a phone interview.

“They want me to open it. The Iranians desperately want it opened. I’m not opening it until a deal is signed,” he said.

Oil prices jumped as Washington maintained its blockade and the U.S. Navy seized an Iranian-flagged ship over the weekend.”I’m not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. We’ve got all the time in the world,” Trump said.

He said the truce, which he announced on April 7, will expire on Wednesday evening U.S. Eastern Time.

Asked if he expects strikes to resume immediately afterward if no deal is reached, Trump said: “If there’s no deal, I would certainly expect.”He told the New York Post on Monday morning that U.S. Vice President JD Vance had already left for the second round of negotiations with Iranian officials in Pakistan.

But according to The New York Times, which cited two U.S. officials, Vance is now expected to leave Washington for Pakistan on Tuesday.

Trump also told the Post that he is willing to meet with senior Iranian leaders if a breakthrough is reached. But he told Bloomberg, also on Monday morning, that he didn’t think it would be necessary for him to attend the talks in person.

As of Monday morning, U.S. forces have now turned back 27 ships to or from Iranian ports, the U.S. Central Command said on X.