European and Gulf Arab countries do not believe the conflict in the Middle East will be resolved in the short term.
Arab and European leaders speaking with Bloomberg estimated it will take at least six months for the US and Iran to agree on a permanent end to the conflict. Last week, Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran that was intended to facilitate a full peace agreement.
However, talks on Saturday ended at an impasse, and Iranian officials say the two sides are now forced to reach a cease-fire extension. Bloomberg reports a two-week truce extension is on the table.
On Thursday, Trump said direct talks with Iran could resume as early as this weekend, and that a ceasefire extension “might not be necessary.”
President Trump says he’s “not sure” the U.S. will need to extend the ceasefire with Iran, telling reporters the next in-person negotiations “may be over the weekend.”
But if the U.S. and Iran can’t reach a deal before it expires, he suggested the war would continue. “I would… pic.twitter.com/NzEwUCSlat
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 16, 2026
The Arab and European leaders warned that if Tehran and Washington cannot reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within the next month, the world will face a food crisis. Along with oil, fertilizer is a key export from the Persian Gulf.
The Strait of Hormuz has historically been treated as an international waterway. In response to an unprovoked war of aggression by the US and Israel, Iran seized control of the Strait. Tehran barred vessels from US allied nations from transiting the Strait and imposed a toll on ships from neutral countries.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump said that the US would impose a total block of all vessels from entering or exiting the Strait, which the Pentagon later clarified was limited to ships leaving Iranian ports.
