Washington/Tehran: The ceasefire between the United States and Iran is under new strain after President Donald Trump extended the truce and told the US Navy to keep blocking Iranian ports.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the ceasefire would stay in effect “until Iran comes up with a proposal to end the conflict.”
Despite this, he ordered the military to keep the naval blockade, which Tehran called a violation of the truce.
As talks continue, Vice President JD Vance, who was set to lead the US negotiating team, delayed a trip to Pakistan, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been trying to restart negotiations.
Iranian officials said they had not decided whether to take part, pointing to “unacceptable actions” by Washington.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told state television that “no final decision” had been made.
Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Trump of turning diplomacy into “a table of surrender.”
The White House said Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Washington for talks.
Trump said the US position was strong, stating, “We’re going to end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice.”
Washington’s demands are the same: Iran must give up its uranium stockpile and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route.
Tehran has rejected these conditions, pointing to weeks of US and Israeli airstrikes before the ceasefire was announced.
The blockade has already unsettled global oil markets, and both sides blame each other for breaking the ceasefire. Experts warn that Trump’s approach of extending the truce while increasing military pressure could end fragile diplomacy before it restarts.