ISLAMABAD: The ceasefire between the United States and Iran, brokered at the eleventh hour by Pakistan on April 8, expires at midnight Wednesday (GMT), as both sides trade accusations of violations.
Iran and the US have accused each other of breaching the two-week truce, as uncertainty grows over a push to stop the war from resuming.
Trump has accused Iran of firing on ships in the crucial trade route it has choked, while Tehran says the US blockade and seizure of a ship violated the ceasefire deal.
Iranian officials say they feel the Trump administration has not acted in good faith in negotiations and has refused to back down from what it called excessive demands.
Iran rejects talks 'under threats'
Iran's parliament speaker said the country would not accept talks "under the shadow of threats" from the US leader and would "show new cards on the battlefield" if conflict resumed.
Tehran declined to confirm that it would participate and accused the United States of violating the truce through its blockade of Iranian ports and seizure of a ship.
"By imposing a blockade and violating the ceasefire, Trump wants to turn this negotiating table into a surrender table or justify renewed hostilities, as he sees fit," said Iran's powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who headed the delegations to talks in the Pakistani capital two weeks ago.
"We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the last two weeks we have been preparing to show new cards on the battlefield," he wrote on X.
Trump warns of escalation
The truce theoretically ends overnight Tuesday, though in comments to Bloomberg, Trump said the end was a day later, on Wednesday evening Washington time, and it would be "highly unlikely" he would extend the truce.
Trump told PBS News that Iran was "supposed to be there" at the talks in Pakistan.
"We agreed to be there," he said, warning that if the ceasefire expired, "then lots of bombs start going off".
He said the US blockade of Iran's ports would not end until there was a deal, in which Washington is pressing for Iranian concessions on its contested nuclear program.
Trump said he was not under any time pressure despite the ceasefire deadline.
"I read the Fake News saying that I am under 'pressure' to make a Deal. THIS IS NOT TRUE! I am under no pressure whatsoever, although it will all happen relatively quickly!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Security tightened in Islamabad
Islamabad has positioned itself as a neutral broker, leveraging ties with both Washington and Tehran to push for dialogue.
US officials have also acknowledged the effort, with President Donald Trump previously praising Pakistan for facilitating backchannel communication and ceasefire arrangements.
In Islamabad, heavily armed police and soldiers on Tuesday secured the city's government quarter, which was virtually shut down.
That included the Serena Hotel, which hosted the last round of negotiations and where guests had been asked to vacate the premises in recent days.
Some schools and universities had already moved their students to distance learning for the week, and city authorities have banned trucks and other heavy vehicles from entering the city.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday visited the US embassy, where he met US Chargé d'Affaires Natalie Baker to discuss Pakistan-US ties, regional developments, and security for upcoming talks, with Baker praising Pakistan’s role in easing tensions, Radio Pakistan reported.
