US President Donald Trump said on Friday there had been some “pretty good news” regarding Iran but he declined to elaborate.
“We had some pretty good news 20 minutes ago, but it seems to be going very well in the Middle East with Iran,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
When asked to explain, he said: “You’ll hear about it. I just think it’s something that should happen. It’s something that only makes sense to happen. And I think it will. We’ll see what happens, but I think it will.”
Warning over ceasefire
Trump also said the current ceasefire with Iran may not continue if a long-term agreement is not reached soon.
“Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade on Iranian ports is going to remain,” he said. “So you have a blockade, and unfortunately we have to start dropping bombs again.”
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He indicated that Wednesday could be a key deadline for any agreement to end the conflict.
Pressure for a deal
The US president signalled that Washington expects a deal, warning that the situation could worsen if talks fail.
“If we don’t do a deal, we will get it in a different form in a much more unfriendly form. But in any event, we’ll get it,” he said.
.@POTUS: “If we don’t do [a deal], we will get it in a different form — in a much more unfriendly form. But in any event, we’ll get it.” https://t.co/wKuDTczmeA pic.twitter.com/tE8KNDSx2E
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 18, 2026
Trump on global developments
In separate comments, Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping was “very happy” that the Strait of Hormuz was “open and/or rapidly opening”.
He also said an upcoming meeting with Xi in China “will be a special one and, potentially historic”.
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Trump added that he would hold a news conference on Saturday, but said it would be on a subject unrelated to Iran.
