Trump Extends Iran Ceasefire Indefinitely Hours Before It Was to Expire

President Trump announced Tuesday afternoon that he is extending the ceasefire with Iran until talks are “concluded,” reversing his earlier statements that he would not do so, CBS News, NBC News and NPR reported. The two-week truce, which began April 8, had been due to expire within hours.

Writing on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said he made the decision at Pakistan’s request and because Iran’s government is “seriously fractured,” and wants to give Iranian officials time to “come up with a unified proposal,” according to CBS News. “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,” he wrote. NBC News said he set no end date and that the naval blockade of Iranian ports continues.

The announcement was a sharp turn. That morning Mr. Trump told CNBC he did not want to extend the truce. “We don’t have that much time,” he said, and “I expect to be bombing,” CBS News reported. NPR’s Franco Ordoñez called it the second time in two weeks the president backed down from a threat.

The diplomacy had stalled. After one round of direct talks in Islamabad, which NPR said lasted 21 hours, senior-level negotiations did not resume. On Monday Mr. Trump said Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were on their way to Pakistan, which was not the case, according to CBS News. On Tuesday, Vance called off the trip, the Associated Press reported, citing a U.S. official, and Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said there was “no final decision” on whether Iran would attend more talks, citing “unacceptable actions” by the U.S. that appeared to refer to the blockade. Iran’s chief negotiator said Tehran has “new cards on the battlefield” that it has not yet revealed, the AP reported.

Iran had not publicly reacted when CBS News published its report. NPR’s Aya Batrawy said it was unclear who is making decisions in Tehran after U.S. and Israeli strikes killed the supreme leader and top negotiator, and that the Revolutionary Guard, the strongest military force, has consolidated power during the war. NPR said Iran’s foreign ministry has been overshadowed by a tougher Guard stance, though officials have said Mr. Trump’s demands are excessive, contradictory and frequently changing.

Both sides have accused the other of violating the truce, with Iran blocking ships in the Strait of Hormuz while the U.S. blockades Iranian ports, CBS News reported. The U.S. is now more than seven weeks into a campaign administration officials had first described as lasting four to six weeks.