Trump denies the US went to war because of Israel as uncertainty hangs over peace talks

NewsWorldMiddle EastIran peace talks hang in the balance as Trump says ceasefire extension now highly unlikelyUncertainty hangs over a second round of peace talks in Islamabad as both sides escalate rhetoric and the Strait of Hormuz remains closedJames C. Reynolds Monday 20 April 2026 18:05 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2961172","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/vance-trump-iran-us-ceasefire-b2961172.html","title":"Iran peace talks hang in the balance as Trump says ceasefire extension unlikely"}}CloseUS Marines board Iranian-flagged vessel after navy disables shipOn The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly international news dispatchEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_On_The_Ground_Newsletter","regTitle":"On The Ground","subscriptionGroup":"on_the_ground","subscriptionGroupId":"14806361-6435-4d19-b06e-05326605fb01","pathPrefix":["/news/world/europe","/news/world/middle-east","/news/world/australasia","/news/world/africa","/asia"],"associatedAuthors":["Bel Trew","Sam Kiley"],"title":"On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents","mobileTitle":"Get a weekly international news dispatch","lengthenedMobileTitle":"Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/onTheGround1_1.png","newsletterKey":"receiveOnTheGround","regSourceSection":"Middle East","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"}}Donald Trump said a...