President Donald Trump Tuesday agreed to extend the ceasefire with Iran, at the request of Pakistan, but maintained that the U.S will continue the blockade of Iranian ports and stressing that he was awaiting a unified proposal from the Islamic Republic.
The announcement came as last-minute ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran looked uncertain and a two-week truce was set to expire Wednesday 22nd April 2026, It therefore came as a relief for the oil market which has experienced uncertainty in the last few weeks.
Earlier, the White House put on hold Vice President JD Vance’s expected trip to Islamabad for a second round of talks as Tehran, at least for the time-being, has balked at further talks.
In a Truth Social post announcing the ceasefire extension, Trump said the U.S. military would “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.”
Besides, he said the U.S. would continue its blockade of Iranian ports. But both countries have warned that, without a deal, they were prepared to resume fighting.
“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.
“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 stated on his social media handles.
Pakistan Scrambles to Get US, Iran to Negotiate
Also, Pakistani leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, worked intensively late Tuesday to get both sides to agree to a second round of ceasefire talks, according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Iran’s state TV there has been “no final decision” on whether to agree to more talks because of “unacceptable actions” by the U.S., apparently referencing its recent blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
As J.D Vance put on hold a return trip to Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were expected in Washington on Tuesday afternoon for consultations about how to proceed, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations.
The official cautioned that Trump could change his mind on negotiating with Iran at any time, and declined to predict what would happen if the ceasefire expires without another meeting. The official said Trump has options short of restarting airstrikes.
The pause in hostilities had been set to expire within hours. The president said Pakistan, which is trying to mediate an end to the war, requested he hold off any attacks.
Trump’s announcement was a marked departure from his comments earlier in the day, when he told CNBC that if Iran did not agree to U.S. demands, “I expect to be bombing.” He also said the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would continue.
Iran, for its part, had earlier called for the United States to lift its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called the blockade “an act of war.”
Blockade Violates Ceasefire Deal, Says Iran
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports violates a ceasefire and amounts to “an act of war.” In a post on X, Araghchi said Iran would defend its interests and “resist bullying.”
Araghchi’s comments came as both Iran and the United States have attacked ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, India said two of its ships came under attack from Iranian forces.
The next day, the U.S. military attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship after it tried to maneuver around the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. On Tuesday, U.S. forces stopped and boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean carrying oil from Iran, the Pentagon said.
Oil Price Nears $100 as J.D Vance’s Trip Put on Hold
International oil prices approached $100 a barrel Tuesday afternoon after Vice President J.D Vance’s trip to Pakistan was put on hold. The price has soared since the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February, only to come back down when the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week cease-fire that is set to expire soon.
Even though a separate 10-day cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon has mostly held since it went into effect last week, Israel on Tuesday said Hezbollah had fired rockets toward Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military has kept up repeated strikes since the truce began, citing a clause in the US-mediated agreement that allows Israel “to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, has criticised that agreement. The group did not immediately comment on Tuesday.
Vance’s diplomatic trip to Islamabad, where he was expected to press Iranian negotiators for a nuclear deal, has been put on hold after Tehran failed to respond to American negotiating positions, according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the situation.
Vance had been scheduled to depart Tuesday morning for the Pakistani capital, where talks were set to resume on Wednesday — the same day the fragile cease-fire between the United States and Iran is set to expire. Without an Iranian response, the official said, the diplomatic process is in effect paused, though the trip has not been canceled.
The trip could be back on at a moment’s notice with President Trump’s approval. U.S. officials are also looking for a clear sign that Iran’s negotiators have been fully empowered to reach an agreement.
The delay is another hurdle in the Trump administration’s push to secure an agreement that would curb Iran’s nuclear programme, and it comes as the Pentagon has been reviewing military options should Mr. Trump conclude that Tehran is not negotiating in good faith.
Iran: No Final Decision to Participate in Talks
Iran has not made a final decision on whether to participate in the proposed talks in Pakistan, its Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Tuesday, according to the nation’s state broadcaster, IRIB. He blamed it on “contradictory messages, inconsistent behavior and unacceptable actions by the American side.”
He also condemned reported attacks on Iranian vessels as a blatant violation of international law.
Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, have also not left the United States, according to a White House official. They were supposed to travel to Pakistan as part of the U.S. delegation with Vance, but all three men remain in the United States.
Financial markets are looking increasingly wobbly, as investors assess the uncertainty about when peace talks would resume. The price of oil, which slipped at the start of the day, jumped higher, with Brent crude gaining nearly 3 per cent. Stocks went the other way, with early gains for the S&P 500 fading into small losses.
U.S. Considers Financial Support for U.A.E
Trump said Tuesday that the United States was considering offering financial support to the United Arab Emirates, an oil-rich ally that has been contending with economic fallout from the war in Iran.
The war has damaged oil and gas infrastructure throughout the Middle East, dealing a blow to economies that rely on the Strait of Hormuz to transport crude around the world. The Emirates is an unlikely recipient of economic support, and the fact that it has inquired about assistance demonstrates the cascading effects of the conflict.
“It’s been a good ally of ours, and you know, these are unusual times,” Trump said on CNBC on Tuesday.
Trump added that the Emirates had been hit hard by Iranian retaliation and that it had pledged to make substantial investments in the United States. He noted that the country’s wealth made the need for support surprising. “I’m surprised, because they are really rich,” Trump said.
Emirati officials met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington last week on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The Treasury Department said that in their conversations, officials “emphasised that the United States seeks to deter future attacks and ensure that energy markets are not further impacted by Iran.”
Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, said on Monday that he expected the Treasury Department to “make every effort” to help the Emirates out. He also suggested, however, that the financial support would probably not be necessary.
“We very much appreciate President Trump’s recognition of the U.A.E. as one of America’s most important economic and trade partners,” the Emirates’ ambassador to the United States said in a post on X.
America Turns Back 27 Ships
The U.S. Navy has turned back 27 ships trying to enter or exit Iranian ports since an American blockade outside the contested Strait of Hormuz began about a week ago, the military’s Central Command has said.
A U.S. military official also said that a team of Marines was searching and scanning a large number of containers aboard the Touska, an Iranian cargo ship that the Navy disabled and seized in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday after it tried to evade the blockade.
It was the first time a vessel was reported to have tried to evade the U.S.-imposed blockade on any ship entering or exiting Iranian ports since it took effect last week.
American officials will determine what to do with the disabled vessel once the search is completed, a U.S. military official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. One option would be to tow the stricken ship to Oman, independent specialists said. An alternative would be to let the Touska steam to an Iranian port, if it can.
The ship’s crew will be returning to Iran soon, a second U.S. military official said.
“The message is out that most ships are not wanting to go out there,” Kevin Donegan, a retired vice admiral and former top Navy commander in the Middle East, said in an interview. The Touska’s captain had ignored multiple radioed American warnings to halt.
Emmanuel Addeh
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