U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One on Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Washington, DC, USA.
Graham Sloan | Bloomberg | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Tuesday extended a two-week ceasefire with the Iranian government, saying the extension was justified because Tehran is “deeply divided.”
President Trump said the ceasefire, which he previously said would end on Wednesday, would continue “until such time” that Iranian leaders and representatives submit a “unified proposal” to end the war with the United States and Israel.
President Trump’s announcement came after reports that Vice President J.D. Vance’s planned visit to Pakistan for a second round of peace talks with Iranian officials had been postponed, and after Iranian state news agency Tasnim reported that negotiators in Tehran, through a Pakistani intermediary, had informed U.S. negotiators that they would not attend further talks.
Tasnim news agency reported that “Iran finally announced today that it is a waste of time to engage in negotiations under these circumstances, as it prevents the United States from reaching a suitable agreement.”
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, an adviser to the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said President Trump’s extension of the ceasefire was a “ploy to buy time” for a surprise attack, Reuters reported.
According to Reuters, in a post on X, Qalibaf also said that the continued blockade of Iranian ports by the US Navy is “no different from artillery bombardment and requires a military response.”
“I don’t want to do that,” Trump said in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” early Tuesday when asked if he would extend the ceasefire to try to reach a peace agreement.
“Not unexpectedly, given the fact that the Iranian government is deeply fractured, and at the request of Pakistan’s General Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, we have been asked to halt attacks against Iran until our leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” Trump said in a statement.
“Therefore, I have directed our forces to continue the blockade and maintain readiness and capability in all other respects. Therefore, we will extend the ceasefire until proposals are submitted and some form of consultation is completed,” the president said.
Iranian officials accused the United States of violating commitments under the 10-point framework that Iran laid out at the start of the fragile ceasefire.
A key point in the conflict remains the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s main oil shipping route, which Iran effectively closed at the start of the war.
President Trump said he agreed to a ceasefire on the condition that the straits be fully reopened.
But traffic through the strait remains relatively low, and after initial peace talks failed, President Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to blockade Iranian ports near the strait.
