Why Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran

Donald Trump decided to extend the ceasefire with Iran in the face of Tehran’s lack of response and internal divisions within the Iranian leadership. Despite maintaining economic and military pressure, Washington seeks to avoid further escalation as it tries to reach agreement on the nuclear program and other key issues

President Donald Trump met with his national security team Tuesday afternoon at the White House facing a major decision: what to do next regarding Iran.

The ceasefire deadline was nearing its end, and Air Force Two was on the runway at Joint Base Andrews ahead of Vice President JD Vance’s scheduled departure for Pakistan for the next round of negotiations. But the administration faced a dilemma: almost total silence from the Iranians.

In previous days, the US had sent Iran a list of general points of agreement that it intended Tehran to accept before the new round of negotiations. But several days passed without a response, raising questions about what Vance and others could achieve by traveling to Pakistan for planned in-person talks, according to three officials with knowledge of the matter.

While Trump met with Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe at the White House on Tuesday, the administration had yet to receive any response from Iran. Officials had urged Pakistan’s top mediator, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to get at least some kind of response before Vance boarded Air Force Two.

Still, hours later, there was still no response.

At the White House, Trump’s top advisers believe that one of the main reasons for the lack of response was the existence of divisions in the current Iranian leadership, an understanding based in part on communications from Pakistani mediators, according to the three officials. The administration’s perception is that the Iranians do not have a consensus on their position or on the extent to which they should empower negotiators on matters such as uranium enrichment and the country’s current stockpile — one of the main points of contention in the peace negotiations.

Part of this complicating factor, according to the US, may be related to the fact that new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is not giving clear directions to his subordinates — or that they are trying to guess what he wants without specific instructions.

American officials believe that their efforts to remain hidden have disrupted the Iranian government’s internal discussions.

Despite these significant obstacles, one official said there is still a possibility that US and Iranian negotiators will meet soon. However, the timing of this eventual meeting remains uncertain.

Instead of resuming military strikes, President Donald Trump opted to extend the ceasefire with Iran for another two weeks just before it expired. This time, he did not specify a new end date. Trump, who described Iranian officials as “seriously divided” in a post on Truth Social when announcing the extension, remains interested in a diplomatic solution to the conflict, wary of reviving an unpopular war that he claims the U.S. has already won.

Still, the collapse of negotiations, for now, highlights the difficulties that Trump continues to face in trying to reach an agreement that meets his multiple demands.

Iran has publicly insisted that Trump lift the blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz before agreeing to a new round of negotiations. Trump has resisted this demand. “We will not open the strait until we have a final agreement,” he told CNBC on Tuesday morning.

At an afternoon meeting, Trump and the other participants decided to extend the ceasefire that Pakistani mediators said would expire within hours, although Trump suggested he believed it would last until Wednesday night in Washington. In theory, this decision could give Iran more time to consolidate a common position with Khamenei’s approval, although officials admit there are no guarantees.

Officials said a trip could be organized quickly if there were signs Iran was willing to return to the negotiating table. Both the US and Tehran face economic losses as long as the strait remains effectively closed, leading some officials in the region to believe both parties have motivation to reach a solution sooner.

Pakistani officials, who on Tuesday were trying to convince Iran to participate in the negotiations, were simultaneously encouraging Trump to extend the ceasefire. As the deadline approached, Trump decided to “extend the ceasefire until his proposal is presented and discussions are concluded, one way or another.”

But Iranian officials were unimpressed.

“Trump’s extension of the ceasefire means nothing,” said Mahdi Mohammadi, an adviser to Iranian parliament speaker Ghalibaf, who is leading the Iranian delegation in the talks. “The defeated party cannot dictate conditions. The continuation of the siege is no different from a bombardment and must be met with a military response.”

Trump’s announcement that the truce would continue marked the end of a day marked by uncertainty, which began with the President’s statement that he “expected to be bombing” Iran again in the near future.

Still, with no new deadline set, Trump’s aides have privately warned the President that easing pressure could allow Iran to prolong negotiations, according to sources with knowledge of the discussions.

At a minimum, negotiators had hoped to reach a framework agreement this week between the US and Iran. US officials hoped that would lead, in the following weeks, to more detailed talks on the details of the deal.

However, this approach has critics, who warn that Iran may be prolonging the talks to buy time while it recovers some of its missile systems that were hidden during the war.

Several flashpoints — including Iran’s future ability to enrich uranium, the fate of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and what sanctions will be lifted — remain unresolved, according to sources close to the talks.

The degree of flexibility on each side will determine whether an agreement is possible. For Trump, a priority is not to accept a deal that could be compared to the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which he withdrew from in 2018 and which he has repeatedly criticized as weak.

In recent days, Trump has shown confidence in the possibility of reaching a superior agreement based on his negotiating skills, even stating on Tuesday that he would have “beaten Vietnam very quickly” if he were President at the time.

“What I think is that we are going to end up with a great deal,” he said. “I think they have no choice. We destroyed their navy, we destroyed their air force, we eliminated their leaders, frankly, which complicates things in some ways.”

Hours later, while honoring college athletes in the State Dining Room, Trump remained unusually silent about the war during his speech, waving to journalists who tried to ask questions before leaving the room.