US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Apr 21) he would indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran, hours before it was set to expire, to allow the two countries to continue peace talks to end a war that has killed thousands of people and shaken the global economy.
Backing down from threats of new violence earlier in the day, Trump said in a statement he had agreed to a request by Pakistan, which has mediated peace talks in the seven-week-old war, until Iran’s “leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal”.
Trump also said he decided to extend the ceasefire because “the government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so,” a reference to US-Israeli assassinations of some of the country’s leaders, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been succeeded by his son.
He added he would continue the US Navy’s blockade of Iran’s ports and shore, which Tehran has called an act of war.
His announcement appeared to be unilateral, and it was not immediately clear whether Iran, or Israel, would agree to extend the ceasefire, which first began two weeks ago.
Trump’s announcement came after reports that an expected trip by Vice President JD Vance to Pakistan for a second round of peace talks with Iranian officials had been put on hold, and after the Iranian state news outlet Tasnim reported that negotiators from Tehran had informed their U.S. counterparts through an intermediary in Pakistan that they would not appear for further talks.
“Iran ultimately announced today that under these circumstances, attending the negotiations is a waste of time because the US prevents reaching any suitable agreement,” Tasnim reported.
An advisor to the speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, called Trump’s ceasefire extension “a ploy to buy time” for a surprise strike, Reuters reported.
Qalibaf’s advisor, in a post on X, also said the continued blockade of Iranian ports by the U.S. Navy was “no different from bombardment and must be met with a military response,” Reuters reported.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump, during an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” said, “I don’t want to do that,” after being asked if he would extend the ceasefire to allow for peace talks to reach a deal.
Pakistan PM thanks Trump
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has thanked Trump for “graciously accepting our request to extend the ceasefire to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course”.
“I sincerely hope that both sides will continue to observe the ceasefire and be able to conclude a comprehensive ‘Peace Deal’ during the second round of talks scheduled at Islamabad for a permanent end to the conflict,” Sharif wrote on social media.
It was not clear when, or if, that second round of peace talks would be scheduled.
-- Agencies
