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.
Iran has insisted that the blockade represents a violation of the ceasefire, and has said it will not negotiate under the “shadow of threats” or while the blockade remains in place, underscoring the fragile and uncertain path to talks.
Violence also continues in the region, with Israeli settlers killing two Palestinian people, including a child, in the occupied West Bank, and Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon wounding civilians and damaging homes despite a 10-day ceasefire.
Retired US Army General Mark Kimmitt told Al Jazeera earlier that he was not surprised that Trump had announced an extension to the ceasefire with Iran.
“I think both sides wanted it. I think both sides need it,” Kimmitt said.
It will likely emerge in the coming days whether there will be a second round of talks between the US and Iran, he said, adding that there is also a danger of the conflict becoming “frozen”.
“The United States must halt its ‘violation of the ceasefire’ before any new round of negotiations,” Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani told Iranian media outlet Shargh.
“As soon as they lift the blockade, the next round of negotiations will be held in Islamabad,” the ambassador to the UN said, adding, “ Iran is prepared for any scenario.”
“We have not been the initiator of military aggression. If they seek a political solution, we are ready. If they seek war, Iran is ready for that as well,” he said.
