Trump extends ceasefire in Iran, citing ‘seriously fractured’ Iranian government
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One on Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Washington, DC, USA.
Graeme Sloan | Bloomberg | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Tuesday extended the United States’ two-week ceasefire with Iran, saying the extension was necessary because Tehran’s government was “severely fragmented.”
Trump said the ceasefire, which he had previously said would end on Wednesday, would continue until Iran’s leaders and representatives present a “joint proposal” with the United States and Israel to end the war.
Trump’s statement followed reports that Vice President J.D. Vance’s expected visit to Pakistan for a second round of peace talks with Iranian officials had been suspended, and after Iranian state news outlet Tasnim reported that Tehran negotiators had informed their US counterparts through an intermediary in Pakistan that they would not participate in further talks.
“Iran announced today that participating in negotiations under these conditions is a waste of time because the United States is preventing a suitable agreement from being reached,” Tasnim reported.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump said in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that “I don’t want to do that” when asked if he would extend the ceasefire to allow peace talks to reach a deal.
“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is not unexpectedly but seriously fragmented, and at the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, we have been asked to continue our attack on the country of Iran until its leaders and representatives put forward a joint proposal,” Trump said in a statement. he said.
“I have therefore instructed our Army to maintain the Blockade and remain ready and capable in all other respects, and therefore I will extend the Armistice until proposals have been submitted and discussions have been concluded one way or another,” the President said.
Iranian officials accused the United States of violating commitments under the 10-point framework Iran presented at the beginning of the fragile ceasefire.
A key point in the conflict remains the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil transit that Iran effectively closed at the beginning of the war.
Trump said he accepted the ceasefire on the condition that the strait is fully opened.
But traffic through the gorge remained relatively light, and after the first round of peace talks failed, Trump ordered the US Navy to blockade Iranian ports near the strait.
