Just hours after the truce with Iran expired and, despite having repeatedly threatened retaliation, Donald Trump backed down again and announced this Tuesday, April 21, the indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran. The US president says the decision is to give Tehran's proposal time to reach an agreement.
First modification: 04/22/2026 - 00:55
Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely on Tuesday, April 21, just hours before the truce expired. The president assures that his decision seeks to allow the two countries to continue peace talks. The war has already left thousands of deaths and has shaken the world economy.
In a message on social networks, Trump claimed to have agreed to the request of Pakistan, a country that has mediated peace talks with Iran. The president stated that he decided to "suspend the attack on Iran until its leaders and representatives can present a unified proposal."
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Trump stressed that he extended the ceasefire, which began two weeks ago, until Iran "presents its proposal and the talks conclude, one way or another," for which there is no established deadline.
Read alsoDonald Trump no longer cares about contradicting himself on Iran to save face
In this way, Trump once again backtracks on his repeated threats to bomb power plants and other civil infrastructure in Iran, in a war whose focus is now on the passage through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and other leaders have condemned Washington's threats, which escalated with a warning to destroy Iran, something the UN says violates international humanitarian law.
The last ceasefire in the offensive against Iran was also announced by Trump two weeks ago, after threatening that "an entire civilization" was going to die, in reference to the Iranian people.
Trump, who together with Israel launched war against Iran on February 28, maintains that he decided to extend the ceasefire because "the government of Iran is seriously divided, which is not unexpected," in reference to the assassinations carried out by the United States and Israel against some of the country's leaders, including Ali Khamenei, supreme leader, who was succeeded by his son.
Read alsoTrump backs down and extends his ultimatum to Iran to Tuesday, while Tehran refuses to agree to just a ceasefire
Trump affirmed, however, that he will maintain the US naval blockade of Iran's ports and coasts, which Iranian leaders have described as an act of war.
The US blockade became a point of friction as both countries wavered this week over whether to send negotiators to a second round of peace talks in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.
The extension of the ceasefire came just hours after Trump declared that he was not willing to continue the temporary truce and that the US military was "ready to go into action."
In an interview with 'CNBC', Trump stated that the United States was in a strong negotiating position and would achieve what he called "a great agreement."
Read also "The whole country can end in one night and that night can be tomorrow": Trump to Iran
Vance is not going
Trump's message took place after days of global suspense before the truce expired this Wednesday.
US Vice President J.D. Vance was scheduled to travel to Islamabad this Tuesday for a second round of negotiations with the Iranian authorities, but, according to White House sources, he canceled his trip because Tehran did not commit to participating in the talks, which further increased the uncertainty.
Instead, Trump called an emergency meeting with his National Security team, which included Vance himself, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
In addition, White House special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner—Trump's son-in-law—who were also expecting to travel to Islamabad, had to change plans and fly from Miami to Washington to join the meeting.
Hormuz moves the nuclear issue
When the war began on February 28 under the justification of the US and Israel that Iran was about to obtain an atomic bomb, the conflict has escalated globally due to the blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Washington and Tehran have failed to agree to resolve free navigation through Hormuz, a key route for oil trade blocked by Tehran after the US and Israeli offensive.
They have also not found a way to reach consensus on the nuclear issue, since Washington demands an end to uranium enrichment and that the Islamic Republic renounce obtaining a nuclear weapon, while Tehran defends its nuclear program for peaceful and scientific purposes.
Read alsoThe Strait of Hormuz on the limit: negotiation or more war?
A "maneuver" to save time
But Iran does not give in. The extension of the ceasefire decreed by US President Donald Trump is a "maneuver to buy time" for a surprise attack, an adviser to Mohammad Baguer Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian Parliament, declared on Tuesday.
The adviser to Iran's chief negotiator stated in a publication on
"Trump's extension of the ceasefire is undoubtedly a ploy to buy time and launch a surprise attack," declared Mahdi Mohammad, an advisor to the speaker of parliament, in a statement posted on social media, calling the US blockade continuous military aggression. "The time has come for Iran to take the initiative."
With EFE and Reuters
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