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Trump says US extending ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request
US president Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request as he waits for a unified proposal from Iran.
“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“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 added.
Hugo Lowell and Joseph Gedeon have the full report:
Key events
An advisor to Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that US president Donald Trump’s ceasefire extension is a “ploy to buy time” for a surprise strike.
In a post on X, Qalibaf’s advisor, Mahdi Mohammadi, said that the continuation of the US blockade on Iranian ports was “no different from bombardment and must be met with a military response.”
Oil prices wavered just before US president Donald Trump announced he would extend the ceasefire to give Iran time to submit a proposal to end the war.
The price for a barrel of Brent crude went from less than $95 to roughly $100 during the day. It settled at $98.48, up 3.1%.
The S&P 500 erased an early rise to fall 0.6% after vice-president JD Vance called off a trip to Pakistan, where he was expected to lead US negotiators in talks with Iran to extend the ceasefire.
Trump says US extending ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request
US president Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request as he waits for a unified proposal from Iran.
“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“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 added.
Hugo Lowell and Joseph Gedeon have the full report:
Iran threatens to end Gulf countries’ oil production if attacked from their territory
General Majid Mousavi, aerospace chief for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, threatened to end oil production in the Middle East if the Islamic republic faced attacks launched from its Gulf neighbours’ territory.
“The southern neighbours should know that if their geography and facilities are used in the service of the enemies to attack the Iranian nation, they should bid farewell to oil production in the Middle East,” said Mousavi, Reuters reports.
US president Donald Trump said that the United States was considering helping the United Arab Emirates financially, and a currency swap with the Middle East nation was under consideration as the war with Iran disrupts the Gulf state’s economy, according to an interview with CNBC.
“If I could help them, I would,” the president said, referring to the currency swap. “It’s been a good country. It’s been a good ally of ours.”
“They’re really led by incredible people… I mean, I’m surprised, because they are really rich,” Trump said.
“If I could help them, I would, I mean, we’re helping them much more with what we’re doing with the war,” Trump said, referring to the US and Israel’s war with Iran.
Israel’s military has accused Hezbollah of a “blatant violation” of the Lebanon ceasefire agreement.
The Israel Defence Forces said Hezbollah fired several rockets towards its troops in southern Lebanon and in retaliation it struck the launcher from which the rockets were launched.
Hezbollah said it fired at an artillery position of the Israeli army in Kfar Giladi, northern Israel, on Tuesday in response to ceasefire breaches, Reuters reports.
The US imposed new sanctions on Tuesday targeting 14 people and companies that help Iran obtain weapons as Tehran works to rebuild its ballistic missile inventories after U.S.-Israeli attacks, the Treasury Department said.
The targets, which also include aircraft, are based in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates and were cited for their involvement in procuring or transporting weapons or components on Iran’s behalf, the Treasury said in a statement.
In the UK, prime minister Keir Starmer held talks with ministers and officials on the government’s work to ease pressures on the public caused by the conflict.
The Middle East Response Committee discussed ongoing contingency planning such as work with fuel suppliers, airlines and international counterparts, a government spokesperson said.
They also talked about diplomacy to support negotiations between the US and Iran, military planning as part of the post-war mission to keep the Strait of Hormuz open co-led with France, and wider measures such as efforts to weaken the link between gas and electricity prices.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said the US blockade of Iranian ports was an “act of war” and thus a violation of the ceasefire.
“Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying,” he said in a post on X on Tuesday.
US military officials are asking to triple spending on drones and related technology, which have been a key part of fighting the Iran war, to more than $74b in the next budget year.
The Pentagon also called on Tuesday to invest over $30b into more critical munitions, including missile interceptors, whose stockpiles have become critically low during the Iran war.
According to military officials, the spending blueprint was developed before the conflict in the Middle East. It was unclear how much they will request in additional funds for the war.
“The overlap, you’ll see, is the request for munitions, which is something we always need,” Jules Hurst III, acting undersecretary of defense and the Pentagon’s comptroller, told reporters at a briefing. “We always need to increase our magazine depth. But outside of that, there aren’t any operational costs in here from Iran.”
During a news conference alongside France’s president Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam said his government was not seeking confrontation with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but it would not allow itself to be intimidated as it continues direct talks with Israel to end the conflict.
Salam said he would need all Lebanon’s partners to help as direct talks at the ambassador level continue later this week in Washington.
“We are continuing along this path, convinced that diplomacy is not a sign of weakness, but a responsible act to leave no avenue unexplored in restoring my country’s sovereignty and protecting its people,” Salam said.
JD Vance’s trip to Islamabad on hold after Iran failed to meet terms – report
The New York Times is reporting that vice-president JD Vance’s trip to Islamabad has been halted after Tehran failed to respond to American negotiating positions.
A US official told the news outlet that Vance’s trip, which was expected to start on Tuesday, was placed on hold after Iran failed to meet US terms.
The visit could resume if Iran meets these terms, but the White House is waiting for a signal that Iran’s negotiators are willing to sign a deal.
In a post on X, the Israeli army said Hezbollah launched several rockets towards its soldiers in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army retaliated by striking “the launcher from which the rockets were launched.”
The move follows on the heels of a ceasefire that took effect in Lebanon, where Israel has been conducting devastating airstrikes aimed at wiping out the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah mediated by Washington came into effect last Thursday.
AFP is reporting that Iran’s judiciary denied that eight women were at risk of execution after president Donald Trump had requested clemency on their behalf.
The remarks come after, earlier today, Trump said on Truth Social that the women’s release “would be a great start to our negotiations!!!,” attaching a post by pro-Israel activist Eyal Yakoby, who claimed Iran was preparing to execute the women.
“Trump was misled once again by fake news,” the judiciary’s official Mizan Online website said. “The women who were claimed to be on the verge of execution, some of them have been released, while others face charges that, if convictions are upheld, would at most result in imprisonment.”
The day so far
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US president Donald Trump told broadcaster CNBC in an interview on Tuesday that he did not want to extend a ceasefire with Iran, adding the US was in a strong negotiating position and would end up with what he called a great deal. “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” Trump said when asked about the possibility of extending the ceasefire.
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The US vice-president JD Vance has not yet departed Washington for talks on Iran and is participating in additional policy meetings, a White House official said on Tuesday afternoon. It comes as president Donald Trump said earlier in the day that the US is in a strong position for talks with Iran during a second round of negotiations in Pakistan.
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In an extremely brief Truth Social post, the US president, Donald Trump, said that “Iran has violated the ceasefire numerous times”, without specifying what these breaches were. His comments come amid continuing uncertainty over whether a second round of peace talks between Iran and the US will take place in Pakistan today.
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Pakistan has yet to receive a formal response from Iran on whether it would send a delegation for a second round of talks with the United States, Islamabad’s information minister has said. “Formal response from Iranian side about confirmation of delegation to attend Islamabad Peace Talks is still awaited,” minister Attaullah Tarar posted on X, saying that a decision was “critical” as just hours remained until the two-week ceasefire struck between the warring sides expires.
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Lebanon on Tuesday raised the toll from six weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah to 2,454 dead as a fragile 10-day ceasefire holds. The government’s disaster risk management unit in a statement also said 7,658 people had been wounded in the conflict, which began on 2 March, days after the broader Middle East war erupted.
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Israel’s military said Tuesday it has sentenced two soldiers to 30 days in jail and removed them from combat duty for smashing a statue of Jesus Christ in Lebanon. Images of an Israeli soldier with a sledgehammer smashing the statue’s head emerged over the weekend, bringing widespread condemnation, AP reported.
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Iranian authorities have arrested more than 3,600 people on charges related to the US-Israeli war ranging from sharing videos with media outlets based overseas to possessing Starlink internet terminals, an NGO said on Tuesday. Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) said the figure, based on state media reports and its own research, represented a minimum given the current internet restrictions in the Islamic republic, and that the actual number of arrests was “likely much higher”.
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Lebanon’s prime minister and French president Emmanuel Macron will discuss on Tuesday how to strengthen the country’s hand in possible direct negotiations with Israel in the United States later this week, as Beirut turns to a trusted European ally. The US will host ambassador-level talks with Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, although it remains unclear whether the objective is to extend a fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah or pave the way for deeper negotiations.
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The Pentagon says US forces boarded the sanctioned M/T Tifani tanker overnight “without incident” in the Asia Pacific region. “As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran – anywhere they operate,” the US Department of Defense wrote in a post on X.
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Germany and Italy on Tuesday rebuffed calls to suspend an EU cooperation deal with Israel, despite rising anger over the war in Lebanon and the situation in the West Bank. Spain and Ireland had put the issue of halting the June 2000 agreement back on the table at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
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At least 26 Iranian “shadow fleet” vessels have bypassed the US naval blockade of the strait of Hormuz, according to Lloyd’s List. Since the US blockade took effect on 13 April, as many as 26 vessels have continued moving in and out of Iranian ports and have exported Iranian-origin cargo, maritime data shows. Lloyd’s List said 11 tankers laden with Iranian cargo have left the Gulf of Oman or the Middle East Gulf since 13 April.
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Israel is continuing its attacks on Gaza, where the humanitarian situation remains dire despite a ceasefire. At least four Palestinian people have been killed by Israeli attacks in the southern and northern parts of the Gaza Strip so far today, Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting.
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The US-Israel war on Iran is creating the worst energy crisis ever faced by the world, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), which advises 32 member countries on energy supply and security, said. “This is indeed the biggest crisis in history,” Fatih Birol told France Inter radio in an interview broadcast this morning.
Vance still in Washington, says White House
The US vice-president JD Vance has not yet departed Washington for talks on Iran and is participating in additional policy meetings, a White House official said on Tuesday afternoon.
It comes as president Donald Trump said earlier in the day that the US is in a strong position for talks with Iran during a second round of negotiations in Pakistan.
“We’re going to end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice…We’re in a very, very strong negotiating position,” Trump told broadcaster CNBC.
A US delegation led by Vance had been expected to leave shortly from Washington for Islamabad, which earlier this month hosted a first round of talks, ending without progress.
Germany and Italy on Tuesday rebuffed calls to suspend an EU cooperation deal with Israel, despite rising anger over the war in Lebanon and the situation in the West Bank.
Spain and Ireland had put the issue of halting the June 2000 agreement back on the table at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
German foreign minister Johann Wadephul called the proposal “inappropriate”.
“We have to talk with Israel about the critical issues,” he said, adding: “That has to be done in a critical, constructive dialogue with Israel.”
Trump says US likely to resume bombing Iran as ceasefire nears end
Joseph Gedeon
Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he expects to resume bombing Iran, as a fragile 14-day ceasefire approaches its deadline Wednesday with no deal in sight.
“I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with,” Trump told CNBC’s Squawk Box. “We’re ready to go. The military is raring to go.”
When asked if he would extend the ceasefire, he replied: “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time.”
He added that the US was in a strong negotiating position and would ultimately secure what he called a great deal – though on what timeline, and at what cost, remained unclear.
The remarks came alongside a Truth Social post in which Trump accused Tehran of having “Violated the Cease Fire numerous times!” – an allegation that appeared to lay the groundwork for justifying resumed strikes.
Despite his sharp tongue, Trump at the same time indicated that a fresh round of negotiations was still on the table, with JD Vance and Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, expected to arrive in Islamabad for a second round of talks on Tuesday.
Lebanon on Tuesday raised the toll from six weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah to 2,454 dead as a fragile 10-day ceasefire holds.
The government’s disaster risk management unit in a statement also said 7,658 people had been wounded in the conflict, which began on 2 March, days after the broader Middle East war erupted.
Authorities and rescuers in Lebanon have been continuing to recover and identify bodies in areas that were subjected to heavy Israeli strikes.
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