On the 48th day of the Iran war, President Donald Trump told reporters that Iran has “agreed” not to develop or possess a nuclear weapon and announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said it’s “very important” that “Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, and they’ve agreed to that. Iran has agreed to that, and they’ve agreed to it very powerfully.”
Trump also said Iran has “agreed to give us back the nuclear dust that’s way underground because of the attack we made with the B-2 bombers.”
He added that the U.S. has “a very good relationship with Iran right now,” which he thinks is because of “a combination of about four weeks of bombing and a very powerful blockade.”
“The blockade is maybe more powerful than the bombing, if you want to know the truth,” Trump added, referring to the U.S. blockade of the Iranian ports on the Strait of Hormuz. The blockade began April 13 after ceasefire talks ended in Islamabad, Pakistan.
US-Iran ceasefire could be extended if needed, Trump says
During the exchange with reporters, Trump also said the ceasefire with Iran, scheduled to expire April 22, could be extended if needed, though he expressed confidence it may not be necessary.
“I don’t know that we’ll have to. Ideally, we wouldn’t but if I needed to I would,” he said, later adding, “Iran wants to make a deal, and we’re dealing very nicely with them.”
Trump also warned that “fighting resumes” if no agreement can be reached with Iran.
The next round of talks between the U.S. and Iran could take place “probably, maybe over the weekend,” he said.
When asked whether he would travel to Pakistan — where negotiations were held last weekend — to finalize a deal, Trump said he would be open to the trip.
“I would, I would go to Pakistan. Yeah, Pakistan has been great. They’ve been so good, Islamabad. I’ll be, I might go, yeah. If the deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s capital.
Trump: Israel and Lebanon agreed to temporary ceasefire
President Donald Trump said April 16 that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire to pause fighting between the Israeli military and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
The truce will take effect at 5 p.m. ET, Trump said in a Truth Social post, adding that he had an “excellent conversation” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
President Donald J. Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 16, 2026
"It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let's, GET IT DONE!" pic.twitter.com/YujXwyUReM
In a follow-up post, Trump said he plans to invite the two leaders to the White House “for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983.”
>> Trump says Israel and Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire <<
Stocks continue to climb as investors hope Iran war may be winding down
The U.S. stock market climbed again April 16, after seeing record highs the day before, as investors remained hopeful the Iran war may be ending soon. The S&P 500 rose about 0.2%, a day after topping its prior all-time high set in January. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%, according to Yahoo Finance. Stocks turned higher shortly after Trump announced the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement earlier on April 16.