Donald Trump announced in a social media post on Tuesday night that he was indefinitely extending a ceasefire with Iran at the request of Pakistan, which has been mediating talks, until Tehran responded to the United States’s negotiating positions or until discussions reached a dead end.
“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” the US president wrote on Truth Social.
The move bought time for the US and Iran to continue pursuing a nuclear deal to end the war. The two-week truce had been set to end on Wednesday.
However, an adviser to Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Trump’s ceasefire extension was a “ploy to buy time” for a surprise strike.
RM Block
The adviser said in a post on X that the continuation of the US blockade on Iranian ports was “no different from bombardment and must be met with a military response”.
Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for accepting the country’s 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 said in post on X.
Earlier on Tuesday, JD Vance called off his planned trip to Islamabad, citing a lack of response from Tehran about whether they would participate, according to people familiar with the matter.
The US vice-president could travel immediately should Iran respond, the sources said. On Tuesday afternoon, Vance was seen arriving at the White House for emergency meetings.
Trump’s announcement extending the ceasefire marks a more conciliatory tone after he spent the weekend telling advisers he did not want to extend the ceasefire unless Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, a position he repeated in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday.
“I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with,” Trump said. “We’re ready to go. The military is raring to go.”
Before Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire extension, Ghalibaf, who is expected to head the Iranian delegation if and when peace talks resume, said Tehran would not attend negotiations under threat, warning they were “prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield”.
Only three ships sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday as the US continued to blockade Iranian ports and Iran maintained its closure of the strategic waterway. The strait handles about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply.
Before the US and Israel’s war on Iran began on February 28th, more than 130 ships a day passed through the channel.
The Pentagon reported on Tuesday that US forces also seized a sanctioned tanker in the Indo-Pacific region, as part of efforts to disrupt the movement of vessels aiding Iran.
International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said the Middle East war had created the worst energy crisis faced by the world. He said it will take about two years to recover the energy output lost in the region.
European airlines have warned of imminent jet fuel shortages as a result of the conflict and blockage of the strait. About 75 per cent of Europe’s jet fuel supply comes from the Middle East.
Trump, in a social media post, also urged Iran to release eight women who were reportedly sentenced by the regime to death by hanging.
In Lebanon, Israeli fighter jets conducted two air strikes in the south, for the first time since the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah came into effect on Friday.
Israel said Hizbullah militants were killed in the strikes, which occurred close to the so-called yellow line boundary, some 8-10km north of the Israeli border.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said Lebanon’s Shia community would “pay with the loss of homes and territory” due to Hizbullah’s actions, drawing comparisons to the destruction in Gaza, reiterating recent statements suggesting Israel could retain areas in south Lebanon it has occupied.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces announced it will remove from combat duty the soldier who smashed a statue of Jesus in the south Lebanon Christian village of Debel and a second soldier who filmed the act. Both soldiers will also serve 30 days of military detention, the army said. – Additional reporting: The Guardian/Reuters
