Donald Trump Extends Ceasefire With Iran Indefinitely, Maintains Blockade of Iranian Ports

US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he would extend the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, “hours before the end of the truce he announced about two weeks ago,” while the United States “continue[s] peace talks” with Iran.

“US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, just hours before the end of the truce he announced about two weeks ago, in order to allow the two countries to continue peace talks, as he put it”

Al-Jazeera Net

In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said he had agreed to a request from Pakistan, which is mediating the peace talks, “to stop our attack on Iran until its leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.”

Al-Jazeera Net

Multiple outlets tied the extension to a looming deadline and to the status of negotiations in Islamabad, with the BBC describing the ceasefire as “set to expire on Wednesday evening” and the New York Times saying the pause in hostilities “had been set to expire within hours.”

The extension came as the White House put on hold Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Pakistan for a second round of peace talks, with the AP saying Tehran “has balked at further discussions” and the New York Times citing that “Tehran had failed to respond to American positions.”

Even as Trump extended the ceasefire, he said the US military would maintain its blockade of Iranian ports, and the AP reported that “the U.S. military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.”

The BBC also said Trump added that “the US will continue to blockade Iran’s ports until Tehran presents a ‘unified proposal’.”

In parallel, the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said António Guterres welcomed the extension as “an important step toward de-escalation and building trust between Iran and the United States,” according to both Al Jazeera Net and the AP’s reporting on the UN remarks.

Trump framed the extension as a response to Pakistan’s mediation request and to what he described as internal fractures in Iran’s leadership, while also maintaining pressure through the blockade.

Al Jazeera Net reported that Trump said he decided to extend the ceasefire because “the Iranian government is deeply divided, and that is not surprising,” adding that the United States and Israel had assassinated some of Iran’s leaders, including the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was succeeded by his son Mojtaba.

AP News

The AP similarly said Trump told reporters the ceasefire extension was needed because he said the Iranian leadership is ‘seriously fractured,’ and it described the move as a “new test for Iran.”

The Guardian’s live reporting quoted Trump’s Truth Social language that the US was extending the ceasefire “at Pakistan’s request as he waits for a unified proposal from Iran,” and it added that Trump’s core national security team decided to “keep up the pressure on Iran by maintaining the blockade.”

The BBC described the day as “a frantic day of diplomacy in Washington,” with Air Force Two ready to fly JD Vance to Islamabad, and then the negotiations were postponed, before Trump announced the extension to allow time for a “unified proposal.”

In the same reporting stream, the New York Times said Trump’s extension followed a marked departure from earlier comments in which he told CNBC that if Iran did not agree to U.S. demands, “I expect to be bombing.”

Trump’s blockade stance remained constant across outlets: the New York Times said “the U.S. blockade on ships heading to and from Iranian ports would continue,” while CNN said Trump extended the ceasefire “until Tehran has submitted a proposal” but “the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports.”

The BBC also reported that the US sought to maintain economic pressure while diplomacy played out, including an OFAC announcement sanctioning “14 people, entities and aircraft” in Iran, Turkey and the UAE “for their role procuring of transporting weapons or weapons components.”

Iran’s response to Trump’s extension came quickly and was dismissive, while Pakistani officials publicly urged continued adherence to the ceasefire.

“Daniel BushWashington correspondent Tuesday began as a frantic day of diplomacy in Washington, with Air Force Two ready to fly Vice President JD Vance to Islamabad for another round of peace talks between the US and Iran”

BBC

The New York Times reported that the first response from Iran came from an adviser to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, writing that “The extension of the cease-fire by Donald Trump has no meaning,” and it identified the adviser as Mahdi Mohammadi.

CNN likewise said an Iranian senior adviser responded that Trump’s extension “means nothing” and that Tehran should respond militarily, and it connected that pushback to Iran’s foreign minister calling the blockade an “act of war.”

Al Jazeera Net added that Iranian television quoted a spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya base saying Tehran is “fully prepared and its finger on the trigger,” and it included the threat: “We will strike America and the Zionist entity hard in response to any aggression.”

In parallel, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope that both sides would continue to adhere to the ceasefire, with Al Jazeera Net quoting him saying, “we hope the two sides can reach a comprehensive peace agreement achieving a lasting end to the conflict.”

The AP also reported that the move came as Vance’s trip was put on hold because Iran “has balked at further discussions,” while France 24 said Iran had not yet responded to the ceasefire extension and cited Iran’s state TV spokesman Esmail Baghaei saying there has been “no final decision” due to “unacceptable actions" ,

Across the coverage, outlets highlighted sharply different interpretations of what the ceasefire extension is meant to achieve, with some emphasizing diplomacy and others emphasizing continued coercion or military readiness.

The BBC framed the extension as a diplomatic pause to “allow the regime more time to create a ‘unified proposal’ to end the war,” and it described Trump’s decision as “the second time in as many weeks that he has backed off a threat to escalate the war.”

CNBC

The Guardian, by contrast, described the White House decision-making as a deliberate pressure strategy, quoting that Trump and his team decided to “keep up the pressure on Iran by maintaining the blockade – reducing Iran’s perceived leverage after they closed the strait.”

Al Jazeera Net reported that an adviser to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the extension was a “maneuver to buy time” for a surprise attack, and it also quoted that continuing the US siege of Iranian ports is “no different from bombing and must be answered militarily.”

The New York Times captured the contrast in tone by juxtaposing Trump’s extension with his earlier threat to resume attacks, noting that even as he extended the ceasefire, Trump said the blockade would continue and that Iran’s foreign minister called it “an act of war.”

CNN similarly reported that Trump’s extension was paired with continued blockade and that Iran’s pushback was to respond militarily, while it also said the US blockade amounted to an “act of war” and violated the ceasefire.

Meanwhile, the UN messaging in multiple outlets aligned on the idea that the extension creates “critical space for diplomacy,” with the BBC quoting Stéphane Dujarric saying “This is an important step toward de-escalation and creating critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States.”

The sources portray a high-stakes standoff in which the ceasefire extension hinges on whether Iran submits a “unified proposal,” while the US continues economic and naval pressure that affects shipping and energy markets.

“• Truce extended: US President Donald Trump said he’s extended the ceasefire with Iran until Tehran has submitted a proposal to end the conflict permanently”

CNN

Trump’s stated condition for the extension was that it would last “until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” and the BBC said the ceasefire was extended “until negotiations conclude,” while CNN said it would last “until Tehran has submitted a proposal to end the conflict permanently.”

CNN

The BBC also reported that global oil prices fluctuated, with Brent crude dipping by 0.2% to $98.32 and West Texas Intermediate down by 0.3% at $89.41, as uncertainty about peace talks persisted.

France 24 said the blockade and stalled talks were central to the risk of renewed fighting, and it reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said there has been “no final decision” because of “unacceptable actions".

In parallel, the AP reported that fighting since the war started has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran and more than 2,290 in Lebanon, and it added that 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states.

The Guardian’s reporting added that the US blockade is intended to reduce Iran’s leverage after “they closed the strait,” and it described the blockade as part of a strategy that could lead either to “more talks or” to “strikes.”

UN officials repeatedly urged restraint, with the BBC quoting Stéphane Dujarric to encourage parties to “refrain from actions that could undermine the ceasefire, and engage constructively in negotiations to reach a sustainable and lasting resolution.”