Donald Trump has announced an open-ended extension to the ceasefire with Iran, hours before the truce had been expected to expire, citing a direct request from Pakistan’s military and civilian leadership as the reason for holding fire.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday evening, Trump said he had directed the US military to maintain its blockade of Iran while remaining “ready and able” to act, but would hold off on resuming strikes until Iranian leaders had submitted a unified proposal and discussions had been brought to a conclusion “one way or the other.”
The president said the decision followed a request from Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, who urged Washington to pause its attack while the Iranian government — which Trump described as “seriously fractured” — worked toward a coherent negotiating position.
The announcement came amid considerable confusion over when exactly the ceasefire was due to lapse. Trump had earlier indicated it would end “Wednesday evening Washington time” without specifying a precise hour, while Pakistan’s information minister had suggested a deadline of 4.50am Pakistani time on Wednesday morning — equivalent to 7.50pm Washington time on Tuesday, substantially earlier than Trump’s own characterisation.
The extension forestalls what had appeared to be an imminent resumption of hostilities. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump had warned that the military was “raring to go” and that he expected bombing to resume if no deal materialised before the deadline. Iran’s Foreign Ministry had publicly stated it had “no plans for the next round of negotiations,” while Tehran had not confirmed whether it would attend talks in Islamabad.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump imposed after Iran refused to suspend its nuclear programme, remains in place.
