At the request of Pakistan, U.S. President Donald Trump is extending the U.S.-Iran ceasefire until negotiations with Iran conclude one way or the other, the U.S. leader said in a social media post.
The truce announced on April 7 expires on “Wednesday evening Washington time,” President Trump said earlier this week, which is a day later than many analysts had assumed – Tuesday— as the end of the two-week ceasefire.
On Monday, President Trump said it was “highly unlikely that I’d extend it”, referring to the ceasefire, if no deal is reached before then.
“I’m not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. We’ve got all the time in the world,” the President told Bloomberg News in a telephone interview late on Monday.
But as the deadline approached, the U.S. President now says that he is extending the ceasefire at the request of Pakistan, which has been looking to mediate the U.S.-Iran talks and host another round this week. No sign of imminent talks has emerged in recent hours, with JD Vance’s trip to Pakistan for talks reportedly on hold.
“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,” President Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.
“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.”
The U.S. is keeping the naval blockade outside the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has called a “siege” and a violation of the ceasefire.
Oil prices were little moved on the news of ceasefire extension, with Brent Crude trading mostly flat at about $98 per barrel in early Asian trade.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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