Donald Trump Extends U.S. Ceasefire With Iran, Keeps Blockade of Iranian Ports

President Donald Trump extended the U.S. ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, hours before it was set to expire, while directing the U.S. military to keep the blockade in place.

“live Iran war live updates: Trump's eleventh-hour ceasefire extension 'a ploy to buy time', Iranian adviser says US President Donald Trump has announced he will indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran, hours before it had been set to expire”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

In a Truth Social post, Trump 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.”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The extension was tied to a request from Pakistan, which is trying to mediate an end to the war, and Trump said the move was warranted because Tehran’s government is “seriously fractured.”

NBC News reported that the ceasefire was set to expire on Wednesday and that Trump said the “naval blockade of Iran's ports will remain in place.”

Reuters similarly framed the decision as coming “after Pakistan request but will continue blockade of Iranian ports,” even as the truce deadline approached.

The New York Times reported that the pause in hostilities had been set to expire within hours and that Trump acted after Vice President JD Vance’s trip to Pakistan for a second round of peace negotiations was put on hold.

CNN described Trump’s extension as lasting “until Tehran has submitted a proposal to end the conflict permanently,” while also emphasizing that the U.S. would continue to blockade Iranian ports.

In parallel, the U.S. Defense Department said American forces conducted a “right-of-visit” boarding of the stateless sanctioned M/T Tifani “without incident” in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility, underscoring that interdictions continued even as diplomacy was extended.

The ceasefire extension was presented as a diplomatic pause to allow Pakistan-led mediation to continue, but multiple outlets said the immediate peace-talk schedule in Islamabad was thrown into uncertainty.

The New York Times reported that the announcement came after Vice President JD Vance’s trip to Pakistan for a second round of peace negotiations was put on hold because, according to a U.S. official, Tehran had failed to respond to American positions.

CNBC

NBC News said that “Vice President JD Vance will not be traveling to Pakistan today,” despite earlier expectations that he would lead the U.S. delegation.

France 24 reported that Pakistan had planned to host a second round of talks, but that “the White House put on hold Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Islamabad as Iran rebuffed efforts to restart negotiations.”

Reuters and other coverage tied the extension to Pakistan’s request, with Reuters describing the move as coming “after Pakistan request but will continue blockade of Iranian ports.”

CNN said Trump’s extension came after an earlier interview in which he warned, “I expect to be bombing,” and it also noted that Vance’s expected trip was called off for the day.

France 24 said 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 US, apparently referring to the US blockade of Iranian ports.

While Trump framed the extension as time for a unified proposal, Iranian officials and advisers pushed back sharply, arguing the ceasefire extension was meaningless and that the blockade amounted to an “act of war.”

“• Truce extended: US President Donald Trump said he’s extended the ceasefire with Iran until Tehran has submitted a proposal to end the conflict permanently”

CNN

CNN reported that an Iranian senior adviser said the extension “means nothing” and that Tehran should respond militarily, while it also quoted Iran’s foreign minister calling the U.S. blockade an “act of war” and a violation of the ceasefire.

The New York Times said the first response from Iran came from an adviser to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, writing, “The extension of the cease-fire by Donald Trump has no meaning,” and adding, “The losing side cannot set the terms.”

In CNBC’s reporting, an advisor to the speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, called the ceasefire extension “a ploy to buy time” for a surprise strike, and Reuters reported that the same advisor said the continued blockade of Iranian ports by the U.S. Navy was “no different from bombardment and must be met with a military response.”

Reuters also described the U.S. position as continuing the blockade even as it extended the ceasefire, and NBC News said Trump warned he was ready to resume bombing if talks did not go well.

The dispute was not limited to rhetoric: the U.S. said it boarded and seized a sanctioned Iranian-flagged cargo ship after it tried to maneuver around the U.S. blockade, and it also stopped and boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean carrying oil from Iran, according to the Pentagon.

In parallel, Fox News quoted Trump’s own framing of Iran’s incentives, saying, “Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed; they want it open so they can make $500 million a day,” while also repeating that there would “never be a deal” unless the U.S. “blow up the rest of their Country.”

The result was a simultaneous diplomatic extension and a continued escalation posture, with both sides describing the other’s actions as violations and threats.

International officials and energy-market signals were woven into the ceasefire extension narrative, with the United Nations welcoming the move while warning against actions that could undermine it.

The New York Times reported that Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the extension, quoting him as saying, “This is an important step toward de-escalation and creating critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States.”

DW

Guterres also said, “We encourage all parties to build on this momentum, refrain from actions that could undermine the cease-fire, and engage constructively in negotiations to reach a sustainable and lasting resolution,” according to the same New York Times account.

Fox News added that UN leaders voiced support for the extension and quoted Stéphane Dujarric saying the secretary-general “fully supports” Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate U.S.-Iran talks and hopes they “will contribute to creating conditions conducive to a comprehensive and durable resolution to the conflict.”

Energy pressure remained central in the reporting: the New York Times said oil prices approached $100 a barrel and that stocks faded on Tuesday as uncertainty clouded peace talks.

Fox News similarly highlighted the economic stakes, quoting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning that “Kharg Island storage will be full, and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in” within days.

The same Fox News account quoted Bessent saying the U.S. would continue to apply “maximum pressure through Economic Fury to systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds.”

NDTV’s live updates also said Central Command claimed U.S. forces had “stopped 28 ships” from crossing Hormuz since the start of the blockade.

As the ceasefire extension took effect, the reporting emphasized that the next steps depended on whether Iran would submit a proposal and whether negotiations could restart, while the U.S. continued to posture for possible renewed conflict.

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Fox News

Trump said the ceasefire would remain in effect until Iran’s “leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” and NBC News reported that Trump sounded positive about new peace talks despite uncertainty over Tehran’s participation.

Fox News

The New York Times said the extension would stay in effect until Iran’s “leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” and it also described Iran’s response as dismissive through Mahdi Mohammadi’s social media post.

France 24 reported that Iran had not yet responded to Trump’s announcement and that both countries warned that without a deal they were prepared to resume fighting.

Reuters and other outlets also highlighted that the U.S. blockade would continue, and NBC News said Trump warned he was ready to resume bombing if talks did not go well as the Wednesday deadline loomed.

CNN said the UK and France would convene military planners from “over 30 countries” in London on Wednesday to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Fox News added that CENTCOM released a video with on-screen captions reading “Rearmed. Retooled. Ready.” and included Adm. Brad Cooper’s remarks that “We’re rearming, we’re retooling, and we’re adjusting our tactics, techniques, and procedures.”

NDTV’s live updates also said Central Command claimed U.S. forces had “stopped 28 ships” from crossing Hormuz since the start of the blockade, while the Pentagon said the M/T Tifani boarding occurred “without incident.”