President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States will extend its ceasefire with Iran at the request of Pakistan’s leaders, even as U.S. forces continue a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Trump did not specify a new end date for the truce, which had been expected to expire within hours based on previously reported timelines.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States will extend its ceasefire with Iran, citing a request from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the extension was intended to give Iranian leaders time to produce what he described as a “unified proposal,” while directing the U.S. military to maintain its naval blockade of Iranian ports and remain ready for renewed action.
Pakistan’s prime minister publicly welcomed the decision. In a message posted on X, Sharif said he thanked Trump—writing that he did so on behalf of both himself and Munir—and said Pakistan would continue pushing for a negotiated settlement.
The ceasefire extension came as efforts to organize another round of talks in Islamabad appeared to stall. Axios reported that Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Pakistan was delayed and then postponed after Iran declined to participate in a new round of talks while the U.S. blockade remained in place.
Iranian officials have repeatedly criticized the U.S. maritime restrictions. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, described the blockade as a violation of the ceasefire and an “act of war,” according to Iran International. Separately, reporting from The Associated Press said Iranian officials have called lifting the blockade a condition for any new negotiations.
The dispute has unfolded alongside continued tensions over shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for global energy flows. NPR reporting carried by public radio outlets said Iran briefly reopened the route for less than a day before reasserting control, linking its posture to the continued U.S. blockade. The Associated Press reported that Iran announced the strait was closed again and warned vessels against approaching while the U.S. blockade remains in effect.
Public accounts of the ceasefire’s expiration time have also varied. Axios reported that Trump told Bloomberg the ceasefire was set to run until Wednesday evening Eastern time, while Pakistan’s information minister gave a deadline corresponding to Tuesday night in Washington.
Neither U.S. nor independent reporting reviewed for this article substantiated several other claims circulating about the standoff—including the number of ships allegedly turned back by the blockade, assertions that Iran has “controlled” the Strait of Hormuz since late February, or specific quotations attributed to Iranian adviser Mahdi Mohammadi and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatening strikes on neighboring oil facilities. Those details could not be verified in the available reporting from major outlets cited above.
The U.S.-Iran ceasefire was brokered with Pakistani mediation earlier this month after weeks of fighting, but major issues—including the maritime blockade, access for commercial shipping, and constraints related to Iran’s nuclear program—have continued to obstruct a broader settlement, according to NPR reporting carried by public radio outlets and reporting from The Associated Press.
