With hours left before the Iran war ceasefire was set to expire — and after saying repeatedly he would not extend it — President Trump reversed course again. This time, in a move with no precedent in this conflict, he extended the ceasefire with no end date at all.
What Trump Announced
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, 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.”
He added: “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 ceasefire was originally set to expire Tuesday night. Trump had said previously that he wasn’t inclined to extend the deadline, and that the US bombing campaign against Iran would resume upon the ceasefire’s conclusion.
As recently as Tuesday morning, asked whether he would extend the ceasefire if talks were going well, the president said: “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time.” He told CNBC: “I expect to be bombing, because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with.”
Why Pakistan Was the Key
Trump said the extension came “upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan.” Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif said: “I sincerely hope that both sides will continue to observe the ceasefire and be able to conclude a comprehensive ‘Peace Deal’ during the second round of talks scheduled at Islamabad for a permanent end to the conflict.”
Pakistan’s leverage in this conflict has been consistently decisive. Every time talks collapsed and war seemed imminent, Pakistan intervened. This is the third time Munir and Sharif’s personal appeal to Trump has produced a significant diplomatic outcome.
What It Means — The “Fractured” Iran Claim
One reason for Trump’s decision is that the US and Pakistani mediators have been waiting for Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei to respond to the latest proposal and give a clear directive to his negotiating team.
Iran’s civilian leaders — including Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — favoured continuing talks to extend the ceasefire and reach a deal. But Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi and his deputies refused to offer concessions and opposed negotiations as long as the naval blockade continues.
This is a crucial piece of intelligence in the public record. Trump is not just extending the ceasefire — he is explicitly acknowledging that Iran is divided between its civilian leadership (which wants to negotiate) and its military IRGC commanders (which want to hold firm). That internal division is the reason Iran cannot produce a “unified proposal.” The extension is designed to give Iran’s civilian leadership time to win that internal argument.
Iran’s Reaction
Iran had not issued a formal government response at the time of writing. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said Tehran’s position will be “officially announced later.”
Mahdi Mohammadi, a national security adviser to Iran’s chief negotiator Ghalibaf, wrote on X that the ceasefire extension “has no meaning.” He added: “The continuation of the blockade is no different from bombing and must be responded to militarily. Moreover, the extension of the ceasefire by Trump certainly means buying time in order to deliver a surprise strike. It is the time for Iran’s initiative.”
That reaction is from the IRGC-aligned faction — the same faction blocking the civilian leadership from sending a delegation to Islamabad.
What Changes and What Doesn’t
The war is not resuming tonight. That is the single most important fact. The ceasefire, however strained, continues with no end date. The blockade continues. Vance’s Islamabad trip is on hold. And the internal conflict within Iran — between those who want to deal and those who want to fight — is now the central variable in whether peace is possible.
