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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had agreed to a Pakistani request to extend the Iran ceasefire until a “unified” Iranian proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said Iran's leadership was “seriously fractured” and that Pakistan, which is mediating talks, had asked him to hold off on attacks against Iran “until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal".
The ceasefire, which had been due to expire on Wednesday, would be extended “until such time as [Iran's] proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other".
Mr Trump added that the US military would continue its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The announcement capped a long day of speculation about whether a second round of direct talks between the US and Iran would proceed in Islamabad.
Vice President JD Vance had been expected to arrive in the Pakistani capital along with Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, but his plane never left Washington.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Mr Trump for extending the ceasefire.
"Pakistan shall continue its earnest efforts for negotiated settlement of conflict," he said on X.
"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."
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump had given a starkly different assessment on the ceasefire.
"I don't want to do that," he told CNBC when asked whether he would agree to extend the truce while negotiations were continuing. "We don't have that much time."
He said he expects the US will resume bombing if Iran does not agree to his demands, but added that he thought a “great” agreement would ultimately be reached.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US blockade of Iranian ports was "an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire".
"Iran knows how to neutralise restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying," he wrote on X.
