ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has agreed to extend the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request, giving Iranian leaders and representatives time to submit a “unified proposal” for an agreement.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he has instructed the US military to maintain the naval blockade on Iranian ports and remain “ready and able.”
“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so, and upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our attack on the country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” Trump said.
He added that he had therefore directed the US military “to continue the blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able,” and would extend the ceasefire until a proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded “one way or the other.”
Trump’s announcement came less than an hour after media outlets close to the Iranian military reported that Tehran’s negotiating team would not attend talks in Islamabad on Wednesday.
Earlier, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations told reporters, including Rudaw’s, that Tehran has set the lifting of the US naval blockade as a precondition for attending the talks.
The United States and Israel launched a preemptive air campaign against Iran on February 28, targeting more than 17,000 sites across the country over six weeks of hostilities before the sides agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8. The truce halted fighting for two weeks and paved the way for talks.
While the first round of discussions ended without a final agreement on April 11, Islamabad has in recent days stepped up efforts to host a second round. However, as of the time of writing, those efforts have yet to yield tangible results.
Updated at 11:50 p.m.