Trump extends ceasefire with Iran but keeps blockade
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request while awaiting a “unified proposal” from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.
The move comes as the White House put on hold Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Pakistan for a second round of truce talks with Iran, which has balked at further discussions. But Trump warned that the US military will continue its blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump made the announcement as ceasefire talks looked increasingly uncertain, with a two-week truce set to expire on Wednesday. Both countries had said they were prepared to resume fighting if no deal is reached.
Trump said he would "extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”
Iran has yet to decide whether to join the negotiations in Pakistan, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said earlier Tuesday, and will only take part if Tehran believes the discussions would yield results.
Since the war started, fighting has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran and more than 2,290 in Lebanon. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members throughout the region have been killed.
UN chief calls US announcement ‘an important step toward de-escalation’
Secretary-General António Guterres said the US announcement that it is extending the ceasefire will create “critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States,” according to his spokesperson.
“We encourage all parties to build on this momentum, refrain from actions that could undermine the cease-fire, and engage constructively in negotiations to reach a sustainable and lasting resolution,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said late Tuesday.
The secretary-general “fully supports” Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate US-Iran talks and hopes its efforts “will contribute to creating conditions conducive to a comprehensive and durable resolution to the conflict,” Dujarric said.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters late Tuesday that the effort to end the war between Tehran and Washington is a “complex process” and that it’s important to allow “continuity” for that process to play out.
“I think it’s very important that an opportunity for peace is given,” he said.
Grossi, who is currently running to become the next UN secretary-general, also warned both sides that any peace deal must include the IAEA from the start to enforce oversight over Iran’s nuclear program.
Otherwise, he added, “you will have an illusion of an agreement.”
Talks to end the war present a new test for Iran’s leadership
US-Israeli bombardment eliminated Iran’s supreme leader and much of the nation’s top echelons, but the Islamic Republic’s leadership didn’t fall apart. Negotiations to end the war offer it a new test.
For decades, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei managed several powerful factions, bringing to heel those who challenged his authority.
It’s now unclear who wields that kind of authority over the civilian figures and powerful generals from the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard who appear to be in charge.
They have found unity—for now—by taking a tough line. But disagreements over how much to concede in negotiations with the US could reveal fault lines as Pakistani mediators try to host a new round of talks.
After Israeli strikes killed Khamenei the first day of the war, his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded him. But doubts persist over the younger Khamenei’s role after reports he was wounded in the strikes. He has not appeared in public since.
At the center of power now is a politburo-like body known as the Supreme National Security Council, which includes Iran’s top civilian and military officials.
