“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,” he posted on his Truth Social platform. Trump’s statement came as the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire agreed on April 8 neared its deadline. The original deadline for the ceasefire was set for April 21 8pm ET, but Trump said on Monday that it was to continue till “Wednesday evening Washington time”.

He had also said he would not extend the truce beyond that, but eventually extended it on Wednesday. On the other hand, Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday that the ceasefire was to end at 4:50am PST on April 22. After Trump’s announcement of ceasefire extension, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the US president in a post on X.

“On my personal behalf and on behalf of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, I sincerely thank President Trump for graciously accepting our request to extend the ceasefire to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course,” he said. The premier further stated that with the “trust and confidence reposed in [it], Pakistan shall continue its earnest efforts for negotiated settlement of conflict”. “I sincerely hope that both sides will continue to observe the ceasefire and be able to conclude a comprehensive ‘Peace Deal’ during the second round of talks scheduled at Islamabad for a permanent end to the conflict,” he added.

There was no immediate official response from Iran on the extension announcement. Uncertainty regarding talks The developments took place amid anticipation of a second round of talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad to end hostilities — largely paused for now — that began with the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. However, uncertainty prevailed over the possibility of talks amid mixed signals from Tehran and reports of delay in the departure of US Vice President JD Vance, who was expected to led the American delegation, to Islamabad on Tuesday.

Eventually, a White House official said after ceasefire extension that Vance’s trip to Pakistan would “not be happening today”. “The trip to Pakistan will not be happening today. Any further updates on in-person meetings will be announced by the White House,” the official said in a statement.

For his part, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iranian state TV on Tuesday prior to Trump’s announcement that Tehran had not yet made a decision on whether to attend talks with the United States in Pakistan. He said US moves against two Iranian vessels amounted to “piracy at sea and state terrorism” and questioned Washington’s seriousness in negotiating. “The aggression against Iranian ships and the continued pressure indicate the continuation of the opposing side’s contradictory behaviour,” Baghaei said.

While he did not specify the incidents he was referring to, US military said earlier on Tuesday that its forces had boarded a tanker under sanctions for trading with Iran, the Tifani, in an operation that took place “without incident” on Tuesday. According to maritime tracker MarineTraffic, the Tifani was laden with 2 million barrels of crude oil loaded at Kharg Island. On Sunday, the US Navy targeted and seized an Iranian-flagged ship, claiming it was attempting to evade its blockade of the Iranian ports.

Pakistan calls for ceasefire extension Baghaei’s statement came hours after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Pakistan was awaiting a formal response from the Iranian side regarding its participation in the second round of peace talks with the United States. Pakistan remains in constant touch with the Iranian side, but a formal response from Tehran regarding participation in the Islamabad Peace Talks had not been re