Trump Announces Extension of Ceasefire with Iran

Darwin, 22 April : Amid ongoing tensions, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced an extension of the ceasefire with Iran, while maintaining a strict naval blockade on Iranian ports.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced an extension of the ceasefire in the ongoing conflict with Iran. However, he made it clear that the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports will remain firmly in place.

According to a statement shared by Trump on social media Tuesday night, and cited by the BBC, Iran’s current leadership is facing severe internal instability—something he said was largely expected.

Trump stated that the decision to extend the ceasefire came following a special request from Pakistan.

“Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requested us to hold off military action against Iran,” Trump said. “They want to give Iranian leaders and representatives a chance to come to the negotiating table with a clear and unified proposal.”

Despite extending the ceasefire, Trump emphasized that no concessions are being offered to Iran.

“I have instructed our military to maintain a strict blockade on Iranian ports. Our forces have also been directed to remain fully prepared and capable on all fronts,” he added.

He further noted that the ceasefire will remain in effect only as long as Iran submits an acceptable proposal and negotiations move toward a reasonable outcome.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday night that Tehran has not yet formally responded to the invitation for a second round of peace talks in Islamabad.

Earlier, a two-week temporary ceasefire had been in effect since April 8 following talks held in Oman. The truce was set to expire Wednesday at 4:50 AM.

Prior to that, on April 11–12, delegations from both countries held closed-door talks in Islamabad, where Pakistan proposed a 45-day long-term peace plan.

However, the talks failed to yield results as Iran did not agree to several U.S. proposals, including suspending parts of its nuclear program.

Now, attention turns to whether Iran will return to the negotiating table following Trump’s latest announcement.