US-Iran Talks: Tehran Granted a Reprieve

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the extension of the ceasefire with Iran, without setting a new deadline, in order to give Tehran more time to negotiate. He nevertheless said he intended to maintain the blockade of Iranian ports, to the dismay of the Islamic Republic.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, the U.S. president said he had decided to “extend the truce until Iran presents a proposal and talks are concluded, one way or another.”

He said the decision had been taken in response to what he described as “deep divisions within the Iranian government” and at the request of Pakistan, the main mediator. He also said he had “ordered U.S. armed forces to maintain the naval blockade.” Tehran, which had made the lifting of the blockade a condition for attending the Islamabad talks, did not immediately comment on the extension. According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, it would respond “at a later stage.”

The announcement came as Washington and Tehran remained at odds over when the truce expires, with the United States pointing to Wednesday evening, Washington time, while Iran said it would end at midnight GMT on Tuesday.

It brought to a close a day marked by a steady stream of conflicting reports, punctuated by threats and counterthreats between Washington and Tehran, as the Islamic Republic maintained strategic ambiguity over its intentions.

Pakistan said Tuesday evening that it was still “awaiting an official response from Iran confirming whether a delegation will attend the Islamabad peace talks,” according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. In a post on X, he added that a decision was “essential,” just hours before the truce is due to expire.

The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Ismael Baqaei, said Tehran has yet to decide, citing “contradictory messages and unacceptable actions by the United States.”

In the absence of a clear response from Iran, the American delegation has also held back off on traveling to Islamabad. Vice President JD Vance, who is expected to lead it, was presiding over meetings at the White House on Tuesday evening.

Is Tehran intent on keeping the suspense until the very end? Is it seeking to exert maximum pressure on President Donald Trump, under strain at home and seen as eager to strike a deal quickly – one that would avert a resumption of the war as early as Thursday?

The Islamic Republic continues to send mixed signals. While insisting it is ready to negotiate an agreement with the United States, it says it is staying away from the Islamabad talks, arguing that American conditions are excessive and impossible to meet. Yet the very nature of negotiations between adversaries is to set the bar high – very high – so that each side can preserve its core interests when concessions are eventually made. In this case, that dynamic reflects Washington’s position of strength vis-à-vis an Iran battered by the war, which is nonetheless attempting to impose its own terms and playing for high stakes in the hope of forcing Donald Trump to accept them.

Iran had made the lifting of the U.S.-imposed blockade on its ports a condition for resuming dialogue. Tehran “refuses to negotiate under threat,” the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry reiterated on Tuesday. He added that the country would retaliate “more forcefully than in the past” if attacked again, indirectly responding to President Trump, who had threatened renewed strikes once the deadline for the truce expires.

According to the Tasnim news agency, Tehran has “well prepared” over the past two weeks for such a scenario and would have “surprises in store for the Americans.”

The seizure by the U.S. Navy in the Sea of Oman of an Iranian vessel under sanctions – which Tehran considers a war crime and a violation of the ceasefire – risks further complicating the situation, particularly if Donald Trump decides not to extend the truce, as he suggested in an interview with CNBC.

Hezbollah Ceasefire Violation

The U.S. president, who has accused Iran of numerous ceasefire violations and reiterated that the United States is in a “very strong position,” remains confident he will secure a “great deal.” “I think they have no choice,” he told CNBC, referring to Iranian leaders.

Iran, however, still has several levers at its disposal, including the reactivation of its “support fronts.” It is in this context of confrontation with the United States that Hezbollah’s first rocket since the ten-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel – which came into effect overnight from Thursday to Friday – should be understood.

On Tuesday evening, the Israeli army said Hezbollah had fired on its troops stationed along the southern border, while a drone was launched toward kibbutzim in northern Israel.

It denounced a “clear violation of the ceasefire,” which comes at a sensitive moment as Lebanon prepares to resume direct talks with Israel on Thursday in Washington, while the Lebanese government has also reiterated its intention to extend state authority over the entire territory and has defended the holding of direct negotiations with Tel Aviv.

This dual message was delivered by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg and later at the Élysée Palace, where he was received by French President Emmanuel Macron.

In Luxembourg, Mr. Salam said Lebanon had made this choice to bring an end to the war into which Hezbollah had dragged it and to restore its sovereignty. “It is the result of national responsibility,” he insisted, stressing that the ultimate goal is to reach a lasting solution to the conflict with Israel.

The prime minister also reiterated the state’s determination to put an end to illegal weapons. The decision was welcomed by President Macron, who said it was “necessary for Hezbollah to stop acting in the place of the Lebanese state,” during a joint press conference with his Lebanese guest. Mr. Salam said Lebanon’s decision to engage in dialogue with Tel Aviv was irreversible. He stressed that the authorities would not be intimidated by Hezbollah, “with whom we do not seek confrontation.”

These messages were echoed by President Joseph Aoun in Beirut, who said that by engaging in direct negotiations with Israel, “Lebanon is not renouncing its sovereignty, but seeking to resolve its major problems.”

It remains to be seen whether Hezbollah, which has stepped up threats against Lebanese leaders, will seek to derail the resumption of talks by resuming attacks on Israel. The group, whose paramilitary activities have been banned by the Lebanese government, released a video on Tuesday announcing the resumption of “resistance” operations, under the evocative title: “The return of Israel’s nightmare: the effective weapons of the resistance.”

This renewed posture could, however, seal its fate in light of Israeli threats. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Tuesday that Tel Aviv’s objective is to destroy Hezbollah. Speaking at a ceremony marking Israel’s “Day of Remembrance for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism,” he also repeated threats to eliminate the group’s leader, Naim Qassem.