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By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, April 21 (Yonhap) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States will extend a ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a “unified” proposal and bilateral discussions are “concluded, one way or the other,” as uncertainty continued to cloud prospects for peace talks between the two countries.
In a Truth Social post, Trump made the announcement following a request from top officials in Pakistan, a key mediating country in the U.S.-Iran negotiations. The decision came as the two-week ceasefire was set to expire on Wednesday.
“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 said.
“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,” he added.
This photo, released by the Associated Press, shows U.S. President Donald Trump attending an event at the White House in Washington on April 18, 2026. (Yonhap)
The extension came as questions continued over whether and when a new round of U.S.-Iran talks would resume, though Trump remained positive that Washington would secure a “great deal.”
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has put his trip to Pakistan for talks with Iran on hold as Tehran has failed to respond to U.S. positions, The New York Times reported. Iran has not formally announced whether it will join the talks in Islamabad.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran persisted as Iran angrily responded to America’s continued blockade of its ports and vessels, and the United States imposed fresh sanctions targeting procurement networks that support Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle and ballistic missile programs.
Earlier in the day, Trump struck a positive note on the negotiations with Iran, saying that the U.S. will end up with a “great deal.”
“I think they have no choice. We’ve taken out their navy. We’ve taken out their air force. We’ve taken out their leaders, frankly, which does complicate things in one way, but these leaders are much more rational,” he said in an interview with CNBC.
He highlighted that Washington is in a “very strong” negotiating position, as it has ratcheted up pressure on Iran to accept a series of its demands, including Iran’s commitment not to have a nuclear weapon.
He claimed that if Iran makes a deal, it can “get themselves at a very good footing.”
“If they make a deal, they can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again,” he said.
Meanwhile, U.S. forces interdicted and boarded a vessel, which was sanctioned for a transaction with Iran, in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The move followed the Navy’s seizure of an Iranian cargo ship on Sunday that attempted to evade a U.S. maritime blockade.
In an X post, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, criticized the U.S. blockade as an “act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire.”
“Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation,” he wrote. “Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying.”
Washington and Tehran held the first round of negotiations in Islamabad on April 11 and 12. But they failed to reach an agreement.
The continued flare-up of tensions between the U.S. and Iran came as the Trump administration seeks an exit from the war with the Middle East country amid concerns over the conflict’s economic repercussions ahead of U.S. midterm elections slated for November.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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