US announces ceasefire extension with Iran

US President Donald Trump has announced that he would indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, hours before it was set to expire, to allow the two countries to continue peace talks while resuming its blockade on Iran's ports.

Backing down from threats of new violence earlier in the day, Trump said in a statement he had agreed to a request by Pakistan, which has mediated peace talks in the seven-week-old war, "to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal".

Hours after extending the ceasefire, Trump doubled down on the US blockade, saying in a social media post that lifting it would undermine any chance of a peace deal "unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included."

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.

Trump 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.

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.

An adviser to Iran's lead negotiator, the speaker of parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said Trump's announcement carried little weight.

"Trump's ceasefire extension is certainly a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike," Mahdi Mohammadi, the parliament speaker's adviser, said in a statement on social media, calling the US blockade an ongoing military aggression. "The time for Iran to take the initiative has come".

Trump said he would extend the ceasefire until Iran's "proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other".

It was the latest instance of Trump backing down at the 11th hour from his repeated threats to bomb every power plant in Iran. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres and others have condemned the threats, noting international humanitarian law forbids attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Trump, who, with Israel, launched the war on Iran on February 28, said he decided to extend the ceasefire because "the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so," a reference to US-Israeli assassinations of some of the country's leaders, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been succeeded by his son.

The US blockade became a sticking point as the two countries wavered this week on whether to send negotiators to a second round of peace talks in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

The ceasefire extension came only a few hours after Trump had said he was not inclined to continue the temporary truce and the US military was "raring to go." He told CNBC in an interview that the US was in a strong negotiating position and would end up with what he called "a great deal."

Those comments came as tentatively scheduled peace talks in Islamabad seemed on the verge of falling apart: US Vice President JD Vance, whose presence has been requested by the Iranians, had planned to return to Pakistan on Tuesday, but a White House official said he had not yet departed Washington and was taking part in additional policy meetings.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump in a statement on social media for "graciously accepting our request to extend the ceasefire to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course."

"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.

It was not clear when, or if, that second round of talks would be scheduled.