TEHRAN - Iran has reiterated its position that it will not hold negotiations with the United States under coercion or pressure as President Donald Trump intensifies military threats against Tehran.

In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, the US president said he does not want to extend a two-week ceasefire with Iran that will expire at midnight GMT on Wednesday (around 3:30 AM Thursday in Iran), amid Washington’s violation of the truce.

Trump claimed that Washington is in a strong negotiating position and would end up with what he called a great deal.

He threatened that the US would resume war on Iran in the absence of a deal.

"I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with. But we're ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go," he said.

Taunting Trump 

Following Trump’s interview, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran’s Parliament speaker and top negotiator, took a jab at him and other US leaders over their warmongering approach.

“They will sell the war to make what great again?” he wrote on X, before adding four ironic options:

•    Inflation (MIGA) 
•    Unaffordability (MUGA) 
•    Oligarchy (MOGA) 
•    Epsteinocracy (MEGA) 

Qalibaf suggested that a new war with Iran would lead to higher inflation and further undermine affordability for Americans. He also pointed to the growing power of oligarchs, and referenced the Epstein scandal—around which Trump has faced various accusations—implying that such networks would benefit from continued conflict.

Fragile ceasefire 
The two-week ceasefire was reached on April 8 to pave the way for ending the joint US-Israel war on Iran and halting Iran’s retaliatory strikes.

The truce followed Trump’s acceptance of Iran’s 10-point conditions. The plan includes demands for reparations for damages caused during the conflict that began on February 28, guarantees that the United States and Israel will not launch future attacks against Iran, and the lifting of sanctions.

On this basis, Iran and the US held talks in Islamabad through Pakistan’s mediation on April 11 and 12. But the talks collapsed due to what Tehran calls Washington’s “excessive, unrealistic, and unacceptable” demands.

US naval blockade

After the failure of the talks, Trump imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, and on Sunday, the US military seized an Iranian vessel, Touska, in the Sea of Oman after opening fire on it.

US Marines, deploying from the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship by helicopter, boarded the vessel and seized it.

US piracy

Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement on Tuesday denouncing the US seizure of the vessel as “a terrorist act”.

“This action, accompanied by the intimidation of the ship’s sailors and crew, as well as their families, constitutes piracy and a terrorist act... and violates the fundamental principles and rules of the UN Charter and international law,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry statement said, calling for their immediate release.

It added that the measure is a violation of the two-week ceasefire and amounts to “an act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The ministry demanded that “international bodies and responsible governments strongly condemn and respond decisively to the United States’ criminal action against international commercial shipping.”

The statement added: “Iran will use all its capacities to defend its national interests and security, and to safeguard the rights and dignity of its people. It is clear that the United States bears full responsibility for any further escalation of the situation in the region.”

‘Necessary action’ awaits US Army

On Monday, Iran's military also denounced the seizure of the Iranian vessel.

The spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates operations between Iran’s Army and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), warned that Iran will deal decisively with the American “aggressor forces”.

Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari said, however, due to the presence of several family members of the ship's crew—whose lives and safety were at constant risk—Iranian armed forces faced certain limitations.

"Given the current situation, once the safety of the families and crew of the vessel targeted by American aggression is ensured, the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will take the necessary action against the terrorist US Army," Zolfaghari said.

Iran’s ‘new cards’

Iran has stressed that it is open to talks with the US, but negotiations must preserve its national interests, and Tehran will not succumb to bullying. This position has been highlighted by Qalibaf. 

“By imposing a blockade and violating the ceasefire, Trump wants—in his own delusion—to turn the negotiating table into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering,” Qalibaf wrote on X on Tuesday. He added, “In the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei also said in his weekly press briefing on Monday that the US will face decisive retaliation if it renews war on Iran.

Iran’s military has adopted a similar stance, highlighting consensus between Iran’s political and military echelons.

Iran’s ‘upper hand’

On Tuesday, Major General Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned of “firm, decisive, and immediate responses to any threats or hostile actions by the enemy.”

He added: “The Iranian Armed Forces have the upper hand and will not allow the lying and delusional US president to exploit and fabricate narratives about the battlefield situation during the period of military silence, particularly regarding the management and control of the Strait of Hormuz. They will respond appropriately and decisively to any violation of commitments.”

Trump’s missteps

Iran has asserted full control over the Strait of Hormuz since the outset of the war on February 28. On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has decided to allow commercial vessels to transit the strategic waterway through coordination with Iran. But Iran once again closed it after Trump intensified his rhetoric and threats.

It appears that Trump, instead of using Araghchi’s call for de-escalation, decided to escalate further, declare victory, and double down on his claims that Iran has surrendered.

But this is no more than a miscalculation. Iran holds talks with the US based on mistrust, which is rooted in Washington’s bad faith. In June last year, Tehran and Washington were engaged in talks when the US and Israel launched a war on Iran. A similar situation was repeated on February 28.

Some Iranian officials and analysts warn that Trump wants to repeat the same scenario and turn the negotiations into a cover for a new act of aggression.

The loser of escalation

Analysts suggest that Trump will lose big if he resumes the war with Iran. They argue that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emboldened Trump to attack Iran on February 28 and is trying to do so again. 

The continuation of the war carries uneven political consequences for Trump and Netanyahu. In the United States, rising energy prices and economic uncertainty linked to regional instability could increase domestic political costs for Trump, particularly ahead of congressional elections, where inflation and foreign policy are central voter concerns.

In Israel, the conflict has intensified scrutiny of Netanyahu’s leadership. His government faces ongoing criticism over its handling of the war, its impact on regional stability, and its failure to resolve deep domestic divisions. Netanyahu also continues to face a long-running corruption trial, and analysts note that prolonged security crises often reshape public debate around leadership accountability, even as international pressure on Israel grows over the humanitarian consequences of the conflict. In this context, sustained conflict can shift attention away from Netanyahu’s domestic political and legal challenges.

Iran’s sustained retaliatory missile and drone strikes over 39 days of war—targeting Israel and American bases across the Persian Gulf region—have reshaped the dynamics of the conflict. By demonstrating both operational reach and resilience, these strikes altered the strategic equation, increasing pressure on Washington and ultimately pushing the United States toward engaging in talks with Iran.

For now, Trump’s miscalculation could prove costly. He faces a critical choice: whether to use negotiations with Iran as a path toward de-escalation and ending the conflict, or to align them with the interests of Netanyahu and risk further escalation.