President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the White House, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Washington. The president on Tuesday said he is extending the ceasefire with Iran until talks between the U.S. and Iran are concluded. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is extending the ceasefire in the war with Iran until talks between the U.S. and Iran are concluded, he announced Tuesday.
“We have been asked to hold our attack on the country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “I have therefore directed our military to continue the blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”
The president said he is granting the ceasefire extension at Pakistan’s request.
Iran has not publicly reacted to Trump’s extension.
The two-week ceasefire was originally set to expire Tuesday night. The original proposal came at the 11th hour on April 7 after Trump escalated his threats that morning to destroy the country’s infrastructure and talks appeared to stall.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” he said in a post at the time. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
The ceasefire has prevented a return to full-scale hostilities, but it has also been marked by conflicting public statements and accusations of violations, as both sides continue to clash over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the start of hostilities nearly two months ago.
Restoring commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is a top priority for the U.S. and international community, which has seen a surge in fuel prices since Iran imposed shipping restrictions on the critical trade corridor.
But for now, the U.S. military is focused on imposing its own naval blockade, which aims to apply economic pressure on Iran by further restricting shipping through the strait.
Trump made the announcement as talks scheduled to take place between the U.S. and Iranian delegations in the Pakistani capital were postponed amid uncertainty about the broad strokes of a deal. Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. officials remained in Washington instead of leaving for Islamabad as originally planned.
Iran had yet to confirm its attendance at the talks, instead warning that it is prepared “to unveil new cards on the battlefield.”
Speaking to CNBC on Tuesday, Trump expressed optimism about potential talks but said the U.S. military stood ready to bomb again if no deal was struck with the Iranian government.
“We don’t have that much time,” Trump said.
A day earlier, Trump told Bloomberg News that it was “highly unlikely” he would extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran if no deal were reached in time.
“I’m not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. We’ve got all the time in the world,” Trump said, also adding the ceasefire would end on Wednesday.
Since the war with Iran began on Feb. 28, 13 American personnel have died and at least 400 have been wounded, according to Defense Manpower Data Center figures.
