The US military claimed Tuesday that it has successfully begun to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports, as the standoff between the US and Iran deepens. Tehran threatened to strike targets across the region, a day after Trump warned on social media that any Iranian warships nearing the blockade would be destroyed in a “quick and brutal” strike.

With Pakistan racing to bring the sides together for more talks, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a second round “could be happening over the next two days.” The first round ended without an agreement on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which the White House says is a sticking point.

Neither side has indicated what will happen after the ceasefire expires on April 22.

Trump says Iran war is very close to over

April 15, 2026 8:14 am

In clips showing excerpts of an interview he taped with Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria,” Trump says of the Iran war, “I think it’s close to over, yeah. I mean, I view it as very close to over.” He adds, “If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we’re not finished. We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.”