WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/UNITED NATIONS/MOSCOW - US President Donald Trump said his administration received a call from Iran on Monday morning, claiming that Tehran "would like to make a deal very badly" but also signaling Washington's eagerness to reach a deal to end the conflict.

Trump did not reveal whether Washington has agreed to another round of talks before the ceasefire expires on April 21, though multiple US media outlets, citing US officials and regional sources, said both Washington and Tehran leave room for further talks.

"We've been called by the other side," Trump told reporters at the White House. "They'd like to make a deal very badly."

If a deal is not reached with Iran to end the war by the end of the ceasefire, "it won't be pleasant for them," Trump threatened.

He insisted that the sticking point in talks with Iran "was over nuclear" and a priority for the United States is to retrieve Iran's enriched uranium.

"We're going to get the (uranium) dust back. We'll get it back. Either we'll get it back from them or we'll take it," Trump reiterated.

"We agreed to a lot of things, but they didn't agree to that, and I think they will agree to it. I'm almost sure of it. In fact, I am sure of it. If they don't agree, there's no deal. There will never be a deal," he said of US-Iran talks in Pakistan on Saturday.

The US and Iran are still engaged in talks as the two sides work toward a diplomatic off-ramp for the war, a US official told CNN on Monday.

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Mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Türkiye are working to revive negotiations between the US and Iran before the current ceasefire expires, according to reports.

"We are not in a complete deadlock. The door is not closed yet. Both sides are bargaining. It's a bazaar," a regional source has told US online media outlet Axios.

Local analysts say Washington has pressed Tehran to freeze uranium enrichment and relinquish its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while Iran is seeking the release of frozen funds and broader sanctions relief.

Trump's latest remarks came hours after the US military imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and his threat that the US military will "eliminate" any ship of Iran if it comes close to the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Iran's Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated -- 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, 'fast attack ships,' because we did not consider them much of a threat," Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

"Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea," Trump said.

Araghchi talks with counterparts over phone

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has exchanged views with his Saudi, Qatari, French, and Omani counterparts on the recent peace negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Islamabad.

In separate phone calls, he also briefed his counterparts on the latest regional developments following the announcement of a ceasefire on Wednesday between Iran, the US and Israel, according to statements released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also held a telephone conversation with Araghchi on Monday to discuss the regional situation and the recent Iran-US negotiations, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Araghchi briefed Lavrov on the details of the Iran-US negotiations held over the weekend in Islamabad.

Moscow welcomed the continued commitment to further diplomatic efforts and the pursuit of solutions that would address the root causes of the conflict and achieve long-term stability in the region, while respecting the legitimate interests of Iran and its neighbors.

Mediators step up efforts

Meanwhile, mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Türkiye are working to revive negotiations between the US and Iran before the current ceasefire expires on April 21, as it appears both Washington and Tehran signal that a deal to end the conflict remains within reach, local media reported on Monday quoting US officials and regional sources.

"We are not in a complete deadlock. The door is not closed yet. Both sides are bargaining. It's a bazaar," a regional source told US online media outlet Axios.

Guterres calls for continuing talks

Also on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls on US-Iranian negotiations to continue, said his spokesman.

While no agreement was reached at the talks hosted by Pakistan between the US and Iran in Islamabad, the discussions themselves underscored the seriousness of their engagement and constituted a positive and meaningful step toward renewed dialogue, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement.

Iran: No concern over border security

Iran's Deputy Interior Minister for Political Affairs Ali Zeinivand said on Monday the country has no serious concern regarding security along its land and sea borders.

"There is no serious concern along the country's western, northwestern, southwestern, eastern, southeastern as well as maritime borders," Zeinivand, also the ministry spokesman, said at a press conference in Tehran.