US President Donald Trump has said that he will indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran to allow the two countries to continue peace talks to end the war. The announcement came as a two-week truce was set to expire this morning. In a Truth Social post, Trump said he is making the move at Pakistan’s request. However, he also said he would continue the US Navy’s blockade of Iran’s ports and shore, which Iran’s leaders have called an act of war. He said the blockade of Iranian ports will continue until Tehran presents a “unified proposal”.
Trump’s announcement appeared to be unilateral, and it was not immediately clear whether Iran, or the US ally Israel, would agree to extend the ceasefire, which began two weeks ago.
There was no immediate comment from Iran’s most senior leaders, but Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said Iran had not asked for a ceasefire extension and repeated threats to break the US blockade by force.
Earlier, the White House put on hold Vice President JD Vance’s expected trip to Islamabad for a second round of talks as Tehran.
Meanwhile, the United States has imposed sanctions on 14 individuals, entities, and aircraft linked to Iran, targeting networks involved in procuring and transporting weapons and components for the Iranian regime. The action was announced by the US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, which said those designated are based in Iran, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
