The US President is oscillating between war and peace with Iran, because he also knows some legal deadlines
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US President Donald Trump knows that the agreement with Iran will be signed “tonight” in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. At the same time, US leader is not sure that Tehran will participate today in the offered second round of negotiations between the USA and Iran! “They (the Iranians) are supposed to be there (in Islamabad). We agreed to be there…if they’re not there, that’s fine too” (https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-says-iran-deal-to-be-signed-tonight-in-islamabad/3912353).
So, if the Iranians are not “there”, how could possibly an agreement between Washington and Tehran be signed (aside from the dilemma, what could be on the paper of that agreement)?
Now one could ask: what does indicate the inference example where key premise is not verified. For example : who participates in the negotiations, before signing an agreement? There are many possible interpretations. There is certainly one explanation: a strong desire of the announcer for something to happen “today”…
Such a desire, that yesterday (Sunday, April 19th ) Trump again threatened that – in the absence of an agreement this time in Islamabad, he could order the destruction of all power plants and bridges throughout Iran. (https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-warns-iran-no-more-mr-nice-guy-ship-attacks-power-plants-bridges-11850572).
But, why “today” anyway?
Especially, if it is known that the other side (the Iranians), last weekend as well as today, signalled their unwillingness to continue the dialogue with America soon. Esmail Bagaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, for example, said today that there are “no plans for the next round of negotiations” and stressed that Iran will “prioritize national interests and benefits” as it considers its next steps. (https://time.com/article/2026/04/20/iran-us-peace-talks-stalemate-strait-of-hormuz-trump-threats/).
So, do Iranian negotiators arrive in Islamabad today and sign the agreement with America, or do they not arrive and don’t sign it? And what happens if they don’t come and sign…? Trump has already announced that the chances of extending the current two-week ceasefire with the Iranians are pretty slim (expires on “Wednesday (April 22th) evening in the Washington time zone”). (https://english.news.cn/20260421/08fd6822d6ed41b99cf2f25c3c54043b/c.html).
And, now what happens in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula and perhaps beyond, if “today” is not “today”, and than if on April 22 there is no extension of the ceasefire agreement between the USA and Iran?
The answer is uncertain. But it seems obvious that ongoing US “military operation” against Iran—as President Trump often calls it, will technically count 60 days of duration on April 28th (a formal notification to Congress from the White House was sent on March 2).
So next week, US President Donald Trump will have the option to either write to the US Congress with a request to continue military operations for another 30 days (in accordance with the provisions of the War Powers Resolution, from 1973), withdraw US troops from the Persian Gulf, or refer to another US legal act (Authorization for Use of Military Force, from 2011, post “September 11”), which allows US military engagement against appropriate opponents, without time limits…
The White House seems to be these days, under considerable time pressure in the Persian Gulf.
