President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is pushing back his deadline for Iran to accept an American peace proposal by another 10 days, extending the window to Monday, April 6, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

“As per Iranian government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of energy plant destruction by 10 days,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The extension marks the second time Trump has delayed his ultimatum since Saturday, when he threatened to destroy Iran’s energy infrastructure within 48 hours if Tehran did not guarantee safe passage for tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday morning — hours before that first deadline expired — Trump announced a five-day delay, claiming Iran had reached out and expressed interest in a deal.

Trump struck a combative tone earlier Thursday, pushing back against media reports that he was eager for an agreement. “They are begging to make a deal, not me,” Trump said. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that. I don’t know if we’re willing to do that.”

He added that talks were progressing despite inaccurate coverage. “Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the fake news media, and others. They are going very well,” he wrote.

During a Cabinet meeting at the White House earlier in the day, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff provided an update on the diplomatic track, revealing that a 15-point framework for a peace deal has been presented to Iran through Pakistan, which is serving as mediator.

Witkoff also offered a blunt assessment of earlier rounds of negotiation, saying Iran had insisted on its right to enrich uranium and had amassed 460 kilograms of 60%-enriched material — enough to produce 11 atomic bombs. “These are incontrovertible signs,” he said, “that their regime had not given the negotiating team authority to make a deal.”

Trump said the dynamic shifted after Iran launched strikes against Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Oman — attacks he said shocked the region and the United States alike. “The Iranian regime is now admitting to itself that they have been decisively defeated,” Trump said. “That’s why they’re talking to us. They wouldn’t talk otherwise.”

The president signaled that a successful deal could lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, though he noted uncertainty about whether mines remain in the waterway. On energy prices, he predicted that any short-term increases would reverse. “It’s all gonna come back down to where it was and probably lower,” he said.

Vice President JD Vance underscored the nuclear threat, warning of the catastrophic consequences if a nuclear device — rather than a conventional explosive — were used in an attack. Secretary of State Marco Rubio drew a distinction between American and Iranian military conduct, saying, “Unlike them, we’re hitting military targets.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also briefed Cabinet members on the progress of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military campaign against Iranian targets. Trump dismissed NATO’s role in the conflict, saying the alliance “has done absolutely nothing.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)