Trump says he’s willing to meet with Iran leaders himself, deflecting Tehran's peace talks refusal: NY Post

WASHINGTON, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Apr, 2026) US President Donald Trump said in an interview with an American tabloid newspaper on Monday that he is willing to meet with senior Iranian leaders if a breakthrough is reached — ignoring the Islamic Republic's threats to boycott the second round of peace talks in Pakistan.

“I have no problem meeting them (Iranian leaders),” Trump told The New York Post, a conservative daily, which is owned by the Murdoch family through news Corp. “If they want to meet, and we have some very capable people, but I have no problem meeting them.”

Trump’s willingness to meet with Tehran underscores the urgency surrounding the negotiations as the US-Iran cease-fire is set to expire on Wednesday, per the president’s latest deadline.

The president signaled that Iran must come to the table for serious discussion — just hours after Tehran asserted it would not be meeting the American delegation in Islamabad.

“We’re supposed to have the talks,” Trump said in a brief interview, brushing aside doubts about whether negotiations would fall apart. “So I would assume at this point nobody’s playing games.”

The president confirmed that Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and adviser Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, are set to head to Islamabad to prepare for the meetings.

Trump tøld the Post he ‘will not be rushed’ to end Iran war, lashes out at politicians urging him to settle: ‘Helping the other side.’

“They’re heading over now,” Trump said.

The delegation is set to arrive on Wednesday, the Post said, citing CNN, putting into question how the end of the cease-fire will play out against the deadline.

Trump said it was “highly unlikely” for the cease-fire to be extended, noting that he expects the fighting to resume if no deal is made by then, Bloomberg reported.

At the heart of the negotiations, Trump said, is one non-negotiable demand: Iran must abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons.

“Get rid of their nuclear weapons. That’s all very simple,” he said. “There will be no nuclear weapon.”

He added that Iran has the potential to thrive if the nation’s leaders agree to end Iran’s nuclear programme once and for all.

“Otherwise, a wonderful country — it truly could be,” Trump said.

But the president declined to spell out what consequences Tehran could face if it refuses to comply or if talks collapse — particularly as the cease-fire deadline looms.

“So I would assume at this point nobody’s playing games,” Trump told The Post about the peace talks.

“Well, I don’t want to get into that with you,” he said when asked whether the US would escalate measures. “You can imagine. It wouldn’t be pretty.”

The president has previously threatened to destroy all Iranian bridges and power plants if the regime does not agree to a peace deal.

On its part, Iran says the Trump administration was making “excessive demands” and shifting positions during the negotiations.

The current hard stance “is posturing to extract maximum advantage when [the] second round happens,” CNN said, citing takeaways from discussions with the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman.

“As a negotiator, and I am a great negotiator, how bad is it when you have people from your own country trying to reach a deal? They are helping the other side,” Trump vented.

“The other side has nothing; they have no cards, but they are using this to delay. When Schumer was in, he was in Afghanistan for so long,” the president added.

“I have only been in this for five weeks. I will not be rushed.”