WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Apr 21) he would indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran, hours before it was set to expire, to allow the two countries to continue peace talks to end a war that has killed thousands of people and shaken the global economy.
Backing down from threats of new violence earlier in the day, Trump said in a statement he had agreed to a request by Pakistan, which has mediated peace talks in the seven-week-old war, until Iran’s “leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal”.
Trump also said he decided to extend the ceasefire because “the government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so,” a reference to US-Israeli assassinations of some of the country’s leaders, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been succeeded by his son.
He added he would continue the US Navy’s blockade of Iran’s ports and shore, which Tehran has called an act of war.
His announcement appeared to be unilateral, and it was not immediately clear whether Iran, or Israel, would agree to extend the ceasefire, which first began two weeks ago.
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