U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was extending a fragile ceasefire with Iran to allow more time for diplomacy, but ordered the American military to keep enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, underscoring how precarious the standoff remains. Trump announced the move in a Truth Social post just hours before the truce was widely believed to be due to lapse, saying the pause in hostilities would continue until Iran’s leaders produced a unified proposal and negotiations were completed “one way or the other.”
The extension followed a request from Pakistan, which has emerged as the main mediator in efforts to prevent the conflict from escalating again. Trump said he agreed to hold off on renewed attacks after appeals from Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In the same message, however, he made clear that Washington would not ease military pressure entirely, saying U.S. forces would continue the blockade while remaining “ready and able” in all other respects.
The White House decision came amid uncertainty over a second round of peace talks that had been expected in Pakistan. Reuters reported earlier that Vice President JD Vance, who had been expected to play a leading role, was no longer set to travel as plans for the next phase of negotiations became increasingly uncertain. That uncertainty has been compounded by mixed signals from Tehran and Washington, as well as continued disputes over the blockade, which Iranian officials have condemned as an act of war.
The ceasefire itself has remained shaky from the outset. Reuters said Trump originally announced the two-week truce on April 7, after a seven-week war that caused heavy casualties and rattled global markets. But even before Tuesday’s extension, questions persisted over whether Iran and Israel had fully signed on to the arrangement and whether negotiations could survive deep mistrust on all sides.
The blockade is now central to the diplomatic impasse. The United States began blocking ships from Iranian ports after talks in Islamabad stalled earlier this month, with Trump arguing that the pressure was needed to force concessions. Iran, for its part, has warned that the measure could trigger wider retaliation across the Gulf. Oil markets have reacted nervously to each twist in the crisis, reflecting fears that any collapse in diplomacy could once again threaten energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
For now, Trump’s decision buys time for diplomacy, but not necessarily stability. The extension may keep open a narrow path to further talks, yet the continued blockade and the absence of a clear Iranian response suggest the confrontation remains far from resolved.
