Trump extends Iran ceasefire indefinitely, in an about-face

President Trump announced Tuesday that he is extending the U.S. ceasefire with Iran until Tehran comes to the negotiating table with a proposal.

“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 wrote in a Truth Social post.

He added the U.S. military would remain at the ready while maintaining its blockade of Iranian ports. The ceasefire would hold “until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” he continued.

A White House official confirmed in a statement that the U.S. delegation’s trip to Pakistan would not be taking place Tuesday, adding that “any further updates on in-person meetings will be announced by the White House.”

The extension marks an about-face for Trump, who said hours earlier in an interview with CNBC that he was opposed to extending the ceasefire.

“We don’t have much time,” he said Tuesday morning, adding that he expected “bombing” to happen if no deal was made.

He said Iran could get itself “on very good footing if they make a deal.”

The announcement came after Iran’s state-run news agency Tasnim said Tuesday that the country’s negotiating team told the U.S. through Pakistan it would not attend talks in Islamabad.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for extending the ceasefire in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, saying the country would continue to act as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran.

“I sincerely hope that both sides will continue to observe the ceasefire and be able to conclude a comprehensive ‘Peace Deal’ during the second round of talks scheduled at Islamabad for a permanent end to the conflict,” Sharif wrote.

The White House announced Sunday that Vice President Vance would lead the U.S. delegation to Islamabad — which also included Trump’s chief envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner — for a second round of talks with the Iranians.

However, on Tuesday, negotiations over a second round of talks appeared to be in limbo as Vance was still in Washington as the Wednesday end date for the two-week ceasefire approached.

Trump did not give any further comment on the matter Tuesday afternoon during an event honoring NCAA champions in the White House, which quickly followed his ceasefire extension.

Pakistani leaders worked intensively late Tuesday to get both sides to agree to a second round of ceasefire talks, The Associated Press reported.

Pakistani Foreign Affairs Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday “urged both sides to consider extending the ceasefire, and to give dialogue and diplomacy a chance,” during a meeting with Natalie Baker, deputy chief of the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, according to the ministry.

Trump has consistently argued the U.S. has the upper hand when it comes to negotiations, often repeating that the U.S. military has taken out Tehran’s military, leadership and nuclear sites.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran nearly reached a boiling point over the weekend after U.S. forces seized and attacked an Iranian cargo vessel that tried to evade the naval blockade in place near the Strait of Hormuz. It was the first interception by the U.S. since the blockade was put in place, and Iran vowed to respond, throwing the already fragile ceasefire into hotter water.

A source familiar with the matter told The Hill on Saturday that U.S. troops in the region were prepared to conduct strikes against Iranian military targets if given the green light by Trump.

On Sunday, Trump threatened to target Iranian infrastructure if Iran did not agree to the deal offered by the U.S. at negotiations.

While Trump is holding back kinetic attacks on Iran, the Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting Tehran’s ability to source parts for its ballistic missile and drone program.

The sanctions came against 14 people, entities, and aircraft  based in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, underscoring Tehran’s network across the region, even in countries it has attacked throughout the nearly two-month-long war.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that Iran’s attacks on neighboring countries had made them more open to sharing information related to illicit Iranian networks.

“The Iranian regime must be held accountable for its extortion of global energy markets and indiscriminate targeting of civilians with missiles and drones,” Bessent said in a statement.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, as part of [Operation] Economic Fury, Treasury will continue to follow the money and target the Iranian regime’s recklessness and those who enable it.”

Gregory Brew, senior analyst focusing on Iran and oil with the Eurasia Group, said Trump’s retreat on attacking Iran “feels like a signal to markets.”

“Talks might be up in the air, but the shooting isn’t going to resume tomorrow,” he posted on the social platform X .

“Flip side is that if Iran was feeling any pressure from the CF [ceasefire] expiring, it doesn’t feel any now.”

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, which advocates a restrained foreign policy, described Trump’s claims of an indefinite ceasefire as a way to find an off-ramp without trading concessions for Iran.

“Not a stable situation, but one in which Trump pockets the central thing he sought – exiting the war – while Iran is bereft of the main thing it was looking for: Sanctions lifting,”  he posted on X.

Updated at 5:59 p.m. EDT

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