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Trump extends Iran truce, maintains blockade as talks falter

Courtney Subramanian and Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bloomberg News on

Published in News & Features

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced he was extending a ceasefire with Iran indefinitely a day before it was set to expire, even as plans for a fresh round of talks between the two countries fell apart.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said Tuesday he would maintain a blockade over ships coming to and from Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. He said Pakistan, which had mediated between the two sides, asked for the U.S. to hold off on fresh strikes and he was extending the ceasefire until Iran submits a new proposal “and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”

Vice President JD Vance had been due to travel to Pakistan to resume talks with Iran, but representatives from Tehran refused to attend, citing what they said were unreasonable U.S. demands. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said that there is currently no prospect of Iran participating in negotiations.

Trump’s announcement struck a markedly different tone from earlier in the day when he told CNBC that “I expect to be bombing” if Iran didn’t meet his conditions, saying the military is “raring to go.” In a telephone interview on Monday, Trump said it was “highly unlikely that I’d extend” the cessation of hostilities if no deal is reached.

Trump’s decision sent oil falling more than $3, while equity futures pared much of their declines on the day. Iran had yet to comment on the president’s declaration.

The developments marked the latest turn in the fraught back and forth between Washington and Tehran since the two sides announced a two-week truce on April 7. Since then, they have publicly bickered over the terms of an agreement and alternatively opened and closed Hormuz, the waterway that carries a fifth of oil shipments.

A previous round of talks after the original ceasefire was announced ended in failure, with U.S. officials saying Iran wasn’t willing to accept limits on its nuclear program and Iranian officials arguing that the U.S. had made a series of demands it would not meet.

 

Trump blamed the collapse of negotiations on what he called a “seriously fractured” leadership structure in Iran.

While the ceasefire extension might soothe investors for now, the path toward a lasting agreement to end the war is uncertain. The conflict, which has stretched into its eighth week, has killed thousands and triggered a global energy crisis — raising pressure on both sides to find an offramp.

Trump has demanded an end to Iran’s ambitions for a nuclear weapon and the return of its nuclear material. Tehran has balked at handing over its enriched uranium and accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire by keeping a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

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With assistance from Hadriana Lowenkron, Devika Krishna Kumar and Jeff Mason.

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©2026 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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