US President Donald Trump has claimed that he has pushed back his deadline for Tehran to strike a deal with Washington or face more attacks at Iran’s request, even as the Islamic Republic has dismissed a US proposal for ending the conflict as “one-sided and unfair”. Trump said Iran had sought a seven-day pause on American strikes targeting its energy infrastructure, but he decided to extend the window to 10 days, pushing the deadline to April 6.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said officials in Tehran had approached his administration requesting more time as part of the ongoing diplomatic engagement between the two sides, amid war in the Middle East. “They said to me very nicely, through my people, ‘Could we have more time?’ Because we’re talking about tomorrow night, which is pretty quick, and if they don’t do what they have to do, I will knock out their power plants,” Trump said.
“They asked for seven, and I said, ‘I’m going to give you 10,’ because they gave me ships,’ he added.
According to the American commander-in-chief, the reason for his so-called generosity in extending the deadline was that Iran was allowing the passage of eight oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as a “present” to the United States amid ongoing negotiations.
“We talked about the eight ships, the present that I talked about the other day, but they asked for seven, and I gave them ten. And they were very thankful about that,” Trump said, referring to his previous remarks about receiving a ‘gift’ from Tehran.
The details about Trump’s claim are scant. The White House has not confirmed specifics on the vessels or their cargo, but the president has suggested the ships were foreign-flagged, possibly Pakistani, and framed the move as a goodwill gesture from Tehran.
Trump Extends Deadline
The comments came after Trump said that he is extending the pause on strikes targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure for an additional 10 days, until Monday, April 6, 2026, as part of the ongoing diplomatic talks between the two sides.
In a post on Truth Social, the US President claimed that the announcement comes as per a “request” from the Iranian government and further stated that the negotiations with Tehran were “going very well”.
“As per the Iranian government’s request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 pm Eastern Time. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the fake news media and others, they are going very well,” the post read.
Trump’s Truce Push
Trump’s latest extension of deadlines — first moved from Monday to Friday with a five-day reprieve and now pushed back by another 10 days — underscores the shifting timelines amid evolving developments and his push for a truce. The president has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East, some of whom have already arrived, driving expectations of a ground invasion, although details remain scant.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign minister said “indirect talks” between the US and Iran were taking place through messages relayed by Islamabad, with other states including Turkey and Egypt also supporting mediation efforts. Any talks look set to be extremely thorny.
Iran has hardened its stance since the war began, demanding guarantees against future military action, compensation for losses, and formal control of the strait, Iranian sources say.
It also told intermediaries that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire deal, regional sources said.
Trump has not identified with whom the US is negotiating in Iran, with many high-ranking officials among the thousands of people killed in the war across the Middle East.