Carlos Barria / EPA
US President Donald Trump
The US extends the truce until Iran presents a proposal for an agreement. The request came from the Government of Pakistan.
The American President, Donald Trump, announced that, at the request of Pakistan, it determined the extension do ceasefire which would expire this Wednesday, until the Iran present a proposal for an agreement.
Trump added in a statement posted on social media that he ordered the Armed Forces to “continue the blockade and in all other respects remain ready and able, and therefore will extend the ceasefire until the proposal is presented and discussions are concludedone way or another”.
The two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran would end in the early hours of the morning, at 00:50 on WednesdayLisbon time. The revelation had come a few hours earlier, from the Information Minister of Pakistan, the country mediating the talks between Washington and Tehran.
Donald Trump had also stated that the ceasefire would end on Wednesday night, Washington time, adding that it was unlikely there be a extension of the truce.
In successive statements on Monday and Tuesday, the US President indicated that he does not intend to prolong the truce, claiming that he hopes to reach an agreement with the Islamic Republic. Otherwise, he threatened that “many bombs will explode”.
The Pakistani minister added that it was of essential importance that the Iran decided to participate in negotiations with the US in Islamabad before the end of the truce, as Tehran has not yet indicated whether it will send a delegation to the Pakistani capital.
For its part, Iranian state radio television assured that no delegations traveled to Pakistanwhile Tehran’s political leaders reiterated that they will not negotiate under the pressure of threats.
Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met in the Pakistani capital with the US Chargé d’Affaires, Natalie A. Baker, and the Chinese Ambassador, Jiang Zaidong.
During the day, Ishaq Dar also held telephone conversations with his counterparts from Egypt, Badr Abdelatty, and Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, countries that, together with Pakistan, act as mediation hubs in the war.
In the afternoon, just a few hours before the end of the ceasefire, the main security officials of the US administration met at the White House.
The Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, who was scheduled to travel to Islamabad in the morning to lead the North American negotiating delegation, was at this meeting, which also included the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
At the center of discussions between the US and Iran is the future of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear and uranium enrichment program, as well as the production of long-range missiles and support for militias in the Middle East and the unfreezing of Iranian assets.
